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1 

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5 

6 

T 


CHARLES    A.    MARGESON 


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■PaUPB^HHM 


Experiences  of  Gold 

Hunters  in  Alaska 


BY 

CHARLES  A.  MARGESON 


PUBLISHED    BY    THE    AUTHOR 
1899 


I 
I 


Copyright,  1899,  by 
CHARLES  A.  MARGESON 


PREFACE 


Had  I  anticipated  writing  for  the  public  an 
account  of  my  experiences  when  they  began,  I 
codlld  have  had  something  better  to  offer.  But 
this  thought  was  farthest  from  my  mind  then. 
Only  after  my  return,  and  after  most  urgent 
solicitations  on  the  part  of  many  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances, was  I  induced  to  commence  th^  task. 
Having  only  a  limited  amount  of  recorded  items, 
the  work  must  necessarily  be  largely  from  memory. 

But  the  accuracy  of  memory  is  much  accentu- 
ated by  the  character  of  the  experiences  through 
which  we  passed,  so  much  out  of  the  ordinary. 
Common  occurrences  would  likely  make  little  im- 
pression, and  hardly  be  recalled,  because  of  their 
very  commonness  ;  but  experiences  like  these  are 
the  Wnd    which  live  always   in  one's  thought. 

Hence  I  can  assure  the  public  that  these  state- 
ments can  be*relied  upon  as  being  accurate,  and 
falling  below,  rather  than  exaggerating,  any  of  the 
things  described. 

The  reader  will  hardly  nead  to  be  told  that  the 
writer  has  had  no  previous  experience  as  a  maker 
of  books,  nor  has  he  any  ambitions  in  that  direc- 

8 


Preface 


tion.  But  the  unheard-of  scramble  for  gold  in  the 
Alaskan  and  Klondike  regions  during  the  season  of 
1898,  in  which  every  community,  almost,  had  its 
representatives,  awakened  such  an  interest  in  that 
far-away  country  that  every  newspaper  item  from 
that  section  was  eagerly  devoured  by  almost  every 
person,  young  and  old. 

Of  course  the  interest  is  not  so  intense  this 
season,  for  two  reasons:  First,  the  war  through 
which  the  nation  is  passing,  and  second,  the  large 
number  of  gold-hunters  which  have  returned.  But 
there  is  still  a  large  number  of  persons  in  the  Alas- 
kan and  Klondike  regions,  and  the  public  has  not 
lost  all  its  interest  in  that  section.  So  the  writer 
of  these  pages  entertains  a  hope  that  the  humble 
offering  he  makes  to  Alaskan  literature  will  not 
prove  wholly  uninteresting.  And  if  this  expecta- 
tion shall  be  realized,  he  will  be  thoroughly  satis- 
fied. The  fact  that  he  sunk  some  eight  hundred 
dollars  or  more,  and  gave  many  months  of  the 
hardest  labor  of  his  life  to  this  undertaking,  is  not 
altogether  a  regretful  memory.  There  are  many 
things  to  remember  with  intense  pleasure,  and  he 
would  hardly  like  to  exchange  the  year  of  1898, 
with  all  its  losses  and  labor,  for  the  cold  dollars 
which  they  cost.  CHARLES  MARGESON. 

Homellsville,  N.  Y. 


CONTENTS 

Chaitkk 

I.  How  I  CAr'E  TO  Go  to  Alaska      , 
II.  Starting  for  Alaska   . 

III.  Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific 

IV.  Starting  over  the  Glacier 
V.  The  Great  Snowstorm 

VI.  Out  of  Wood  on  the  Summit  of  the  Glacier 
VII.  Descending  the  Glacier 
VIII.  Our  First  Bear  Hunt 
IX.  Building  Boats  on  the  Klutina 
X.  Our  First  Prospecting  Experience 
XI.  Poor  Charles  Kelley,  and  Other  Unknown  Un 

fortunates      

XII.  Catching  Salmon,  and  Running  for  a  Claim 

XIII.  "More  Cold  Feet  " — Miners  Going  Home 

XIV.  A  Grand  Concert  -The  Indian  Chief  and  the 

Phonograph 
XV.  A  Race  for  Claims 
XVI.  Experience  with  Alaskan  Bears 
XVII.  Flopped  by  a  Big  Salmon 
XVIII.  Experience  with  "  Wooleys  "     . 
XIX.  Shooting  a  Bear 
XX.  Another  Mad  Rush  for  Claims 


XXI.  The  Trip  over  THE  Glacier  AFTER  Rubber  Boots   210 

XXII.  Preparing  Winter  Quarters 

XXIII.  "Jim"  AND  His  DoNKr.v         .... 

XXIV.  Preparing  to  Return  to  the  States 
XXV.  Trip  Down  the  River  .... 

XXVI.  A  Thrilling  Experience 

5 


Pagb 

.  7 

«3 

37 

65 

86 

96 

103 

109 

««3 

"9 

126 

130 
'34 

144 

'51 
167 

'77 
184 
188 
'99 


216 
220 
225 
228 
254 


6 


Contents 


XXVII.  A  "Live"  Olacier 
XXVIII.  RopiNr.  THfc.  Rai'IDS 

XXIX.  Four  Miles  of  Soun  Ice 
XXX.  Securing  Food      .... 

XXXI.  Sick  on  the  Way  .        . 

XXXII.  Taking  Boat  for  Seattle    . 

XXXIII.  Experiences  on  Shore  —  Parting 


a6a 
a68 

a73 
a83 
a88 
391 

an<t 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Portrait  ok  Author Frontispiece 

First  Bench,  Valdez  Glacier 68 

On  the  Glacier 78 

Camp  at  First  Timber  over  Glacier  .        .        .        .103 

Sawmill,  June  id,  1898       .  108 

Building  Boats .1-15 

Bull  Rapids,  Klutina  River lai 

Salmon  Fishing 131 

Chief  Stickwon's  House 146 

Prospectors  Stopping  for  Dinner 160 

Panning .        .        .        .     170 

Mad  Rush  to  Tonsena  Strike 200 

Twin  Cabins 216 

Storehouse  for  Provisions 224 

Copper  Center     .      • 228 

Three  Families  ........    236 

Rapids  on  Copper  River 268 


m 


CHAPTER  I 


HOW    I   C/ME  TO  GO  TO  ALASKA 


It  was  during  the  summer  of  1897,  while  travel- 
ing in  Missouri,  that  I  became  acquainted  with  a 
man  who  had  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in 
the  mining  districts  of  various  countries,  or  rather 
the  various  mining^  sections  of  our  own  country,  the 
last  few  years  having  been  spent  in  British  Colum- 
bia, where  he  had  found  good  prospects,  and  had 
come  to  the  States  to  form  a  company  for  the  pur- 
pose of  developing  the  discoveries  he  claimed  to 
have  made. 

We  were  thrown  much  together,  and  soon  be- 
came friends.  For  hours  he  sat  and  toid  me  of 
his  travels  through  British  Columbia,  and  how  at 
last  he  had  found  the  spot  referred  to  above.  I  was 
seized  with  a  desire  to  accompany  him  ;  so  it  was 
arranged  that  we  should  get  two  other  men,  mak- 
ing a  company  of  four,  and  in  the  spring  of  1898 
go  together  t'  the  gold  fields. 

I  soon  left  Missouri  and  saw  no  more  of  my 
friend,  but  kept  up  a  correspondence  with  him 
until  the  early  part  of  the  winter.     I  then  became 

7 


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8 


Go/d  Hunters  in   Alokska 


si 


convinced  that  our  association  together  would  not 
be  harmonious,  and  I  decided  to  abandon  the  idea 
of  going  with  him. 

About  this  time  I  learned  that  a  large  party  of 
Connecticut  people  were  forming  themselves  into 
a  company  to  go  to  the  Copper  River,  in  Alaska, 
to  prospect  for  gold.  I  immediately  wrote  to  their 
secretary,  Mr.  Harry  E.  F.  King,  of  Stamford, 
Conn.,  and  by  return  mail  I  received  their  prospec- 
tus. He  also  informed  me  that  a  few  places  were 
vacant,  and  wound  up  with  a  request  that  I  should 
join  them.  I  discussed  the  question  with  two  of 
my  friends,  Mr.  Wesley  Jaynes  and  Mr.  Harry  H. 
Sweet,  both  of  Hornellsville,  N.  Y.,  each  of  whom 
had  contracted  the  gold  fever,  as  well  as  myself, 
and  we  decided  to  join  this  company,  if  upon 
investigation  we  were  satisfied  with  their  manner 
of  doing  business. 

To  pursue  this  investigation  I  made  a  trip  to 
Stamford,  where  many  of  the  members  of  the  com- 
pany lived,  and  attended  one  of  their  meetings,  as 
did  Mr.  Sweet  later  on.  We  met  many  of  the 
men,  who  seemed  very  pleasant  gentlemen  ;  so  we 
gave  them  our  names,  paid  in  our  money,  and 
from  this  time  began  in  earnest  our  preparation^ 
for  our  trip  to  the  cold  North.  The  names  of  the 
men  and  their  addresses  are  as  follows  : — 


■ii»j!»iiipi|iimnjp|wi|ij,ii  I  m,»  fim 


How  I  Came  to  Go  to  Alaska 


9 


D.  T.  Murphy,  Stamford,  Conn. 
Harry  E.    F.    King,    Stamford, 

Conn. 
William     Williams,      Stamford, 

Conn. 
Charles  Butts,  Stamford,  Conn. 
James  Hall,  Stamford,  Conn. 
William  Brook,  Stamford,  Conn. 
Emanuel     Moyes,   Stamford, 

Conn. 
Bernard    Gasteldi,    Norwalk, 

Conn. 
Richard  Voight,  Norwalk,  Conn. 
Joseph  Lawson,  Norwalk,  Conn. 
Lindsey    Stead,    Sound    Beach, 

Conn. 
Philip     Stead,     Sound     Beach, 

Conn. 
Fred  Gittner,  Cannons,  Conn. 
S,  J.  Cone,   Litchfield,  Conn. 
W.    H.      Lawrentz,     Litchfield, 

Conn. 
John  Potts,  Westport,  Conn. 
Henry       Kitcher,      Bridgeport, 

Conn. 


James      Simpson,      Bridgeport, 

Conn. 
Daniel    O'  Connell,    Glenbrook, 

Conn. 
T.  O.  Roggers.  Danbury,  Conn. 
Frank  W.  Hoyt,  Norwalk,  Conn. 
James  Alstrum,Highwood,  Conn. 
Stanley   W.  Gardner,  Portches- 

ter,  N.  V. 
Charles  Priceler,  Denmark,  N.Y. 
Adolph     Oberfeld,     Boone  ville, 

Mo. 
Valentine  Frickel,  Orange,  N.  J. 
N.  D.  Benedict,  Seville,  Fla. 
J.  C.  Allen,  Fall  River,  Mass. 
Charles    B.   Smith,  Lanesboro, 

Pa. 
Dr.    Kortright,    Hoboken,  N.  J. 
L.  D.  Hoy,  Seattle,  Wash. 
Wesley    Jaynes,     Hornellsville, 

N.   Y.  '     ■  - 

Harry  H.   Sweet,  Hornellsville, 

N.  Y. 
Charles  Margeson,  Hornellsville, 

N.   Y. 


The  outfitting  houses  all  over  the  country  were 
constantly  sending  out  printed  lists  of  what  was 
needed  to  keep  one  comfortable  in  that  cold  coun- 
try. We  selected  one,  and  through  it  purchased  a 
few  articles  in  New  York  City,  including  sleeping 
bags,  blankets,  oil-skin  suits,  and  underclothing ; 


m<^i«nr' 


10 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


the  balance  we  decided  to  wait  for  until  we 
reached  the  coast,  where  it  was  thought  we  should 
find  a  better  assortment  to  select  from,  and  where 
it  would  be  known  better  what  would  be  needed 

Such  frequent  reference  will  be  made  in  this  lit. 
tie  volume  to  the  sleeping  bag  that  the  reader  wil- 
have  a  more  intelligent  idea  of  what  he  reads 
about  if  I  give  a  brief  description  of  it  early  in  the 
volume. 

The  sleeping  bag  is  made  of  three  separate  bags, 
one  within  the  other.  They  are  about  six  and 
one-half  feet  long  by  two  and  one-half  feet  wide 
at  the  widest  part, —  which  is  the  head, —  and  are 
tapered  toward  the  foot. 

The  inner  bag  is  made  of  heavy  Mackinaw  ;  the 
second,  or  middle,  bag  is  of  mountain  goatskin, 
with  the  heavy  coat  of  hair  turned  inside  ;  and  the 
outer  bag  is  of  rubber. 

There  is  an  opening  two  and  one-half  feet  long 
on  one  side  near  the  head,  and  it  is  through  this 
opening  that  the  occupant  must  crawl,  feet  first, 
when  he  wishes  to  turn  in.  When  once  inside,  he 
snaps  the  openings  together, —  which  openings  are 
covered  by  a  flap, —  and  thus  the  sleeper  is  en- 
tirely encased  within  the  three  bags,  head  and 
heels. 


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wasaKm 


How  I  Came  to  Go  to  Alaska 


11 


It  was  our  custom  to  remove  our  boots,  and  usu- 
ally our  coats,  and,  folding  them  up,  place  both 
under  the  head  ofjour  bags,  for  the  double  purpose 
of  raising  our  heads  and  keeping  our  coats  and 
boots  dry,  and  in  some  measure  warm,  to  put  on 
when   we  arose. 

The  weight  of  one  of  these  sleeping  bags  is  fif- 
teen to  twenty  pounds,  and  must  be  carried  on  all 
tramps  of  any  distance  from  camp  ;  for  one  never 
knows  when  he  will  be  overtaken  by  a  severe  storm, 
or  how  he  may  be  delayed  and  be  obliged  to  spend 
the  night  on  some  mountainside  or  in  some  lonely 
valley  ;  and  with  the  bag  one  has  literally  his 
house   on    his   back,    very    much    like    the   snail. 

As  the  time  drew  near  for  starting,  the  enormity 
of  the  undertaking  seemed  to  dawn  more  clearly 
upon  us.  But  we  had  put  our  hands  to  the  plow, 
and  it  would  not  do  to  look  back. 

A  45-70  repeating  Winchester  rifle  was  pur- 
chased for  every  man  in  the  company,  and  car- 
tridges enough,  as  we  thought,  to  kill  all  the  game 
in  Alaska.  But  we  expected  to  need  some  of  them 
to  protect  ourselves  against  the  Alaskan  Indians, 
who,  we  had  heard,  would  try  to  prohibit  us  from 
intruding  into  their  domains  in  our  hunt  for  gold. 


fppp 


ifftmmmm 


PP'W) 


■•p^^ 


wyp!rwp«<wr?»i|P5»ip»f!{ 


I 


I    • 


12 


Go/d  Hunters  in   Alaska 


The  24th  day  of  January,  1898,  was  the  day  set 
upon  which  the  company  would  leave  Stamford, 
Conn.  They  were  to  go  via  the  New  York  Cen- 
tral R.  R.,  to  Buffalo,  arriving  there  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  25th,  where  my  friends  and  myself  were 
to  join  them. 


\ 


\ 


CHAPTER    II 


STARTING    FOR   ALASKA 


At  last  the  day  set  for  starting  came.  The  city 
of  Stamford  never  saw  so  many  people  within  her 
limits  as  gathered  to  witness  the  departure  of  this 
company  of  men, —  many  of  them  her  own  sons, — 
for  their  long  sojourn  in  the  land  of  snow  and  ice. 
Speeches  were  made  by  the  mayor  of  the  city  and 
others,  and  responded  to  by  members  of  the  com- 
pany. It  was  a  marked  day  in  the  history  of  the 
families  and  friends  of  these  men.  They  were 
going  thousands  of  miles  from  home,  into  an 
unknown  country, —  a  land  full  of  dangers  and 
hardships  ;  and  would  they  ever  see  their  loved 
ones  again  was  the  one  all-absorbing  question 
which  filled  their  thoughts. 

At  last  the  train  arrived  which  was  to  take 
them  as  far  as  New  York  City.  Thousands  of 
people  had  gathered  in  the  vicinity  of  the  rail- 
road station,  and  so  great  was  the  crowd  that 
those  of  the  company  who  had  lingered  with 
their  families  until  almost  the  last  moment  ccuid 
scarcely   work   their   way   through    this   mass   of 

18 


14 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


humanity  to  the  train.  Many  of  the  men  re- 
mained upon  the  platform  until  the  train  began 
to  move,  when  they  jumped  aboard,  and  were 
whirled  away  amid  the  best  wishes  of  the  great 
crowds  who  had  gathered  to  see  them  off. 

During  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  that  our 
friends  of  Stamford  left  their  homes,  Mr.  Jaynes, 
Mr.  Sweet,  and  myself  bade  our  friends  good- 
by,  and  left  for  Buffalo,  where  we  were  to  join 
our  party  next  morning.  Several  of  our  friends 
accompanied  us  to  Buffalo,  and  together  we 
passed  a  pleasant  evening,  each  one  recounting 
some  incident  he  had  read  in  regard  to  this  far- 
away country  ;  and  it  was  creeping  along  toward 
the  small  hours  when  we  bade  each  other  good- 
night, and,  leaving  a  call  for  five  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  turned  into  our  bunks.  I  seemed 
scarcely  to  have  forgotten  myself  in  slumber 
before  there  came  a  sharp  rap,  and  with  it  came 
the  announcement  that  it  was  five  o'clock.  Oh, 
dear  !  Five  o'clock  so  soon  !  And  the  train  which 
was  to  bring  the  larger  part  of  our  company  was 
to  arrive  at  six.  So  we  had  no  time  to  waste. 
We  had  barely  time  for  a  hasty  breakfast  when 
the  train  pulled  into  the  station,  and  with  many 
good  wishes,  and  some  hurried  hand-shakes  with 
our  home   friends,  we   stepped  on  board  the  car 


Starting  for  Alaska 


15 


which  was  to  be  our  home  for  the  next  five  days. 
The  first  few  hours  were  spent  in  getting  ac- 
quainted with  the  members  of  the  company  whom 
we  had  not  met  before.  At  Suspension  Bridge  the 
train  made  its  first  stop,  and  here  the  Connecticut 
delegation  ate  its  first  breakfast  on  board  the  train; 
and  as  they  brought  out  their  large  and  well-filled 
lunch  baskets,  it  became  evident  that  we  were  not 
the  only  ones  who  had  supplied  themselves  with 
an  abundance  of  good  things  to  eat  during  our 
journey  to   Seattle. 

About  noon,  at  a  little  town  called  Sand  Run, 
our  train  ran  into  a  fearful  blizzard,  and  it  became 
so  severe  that  we  were« obliged  to  stop  until  an- 
other engine  with  a  large  snowplow  was  brought 
to  our  assistance.  It  was  with  difficulty  that  the 
two  engines  could  pull  the  train  through  on  sched- 
ule time.  While  it  was  gloomy  enough  outside,  it 
was  far  from  it  inside.  We  had  two  violins,  an 
accordion,  a  piccolo,  and  several  harps,  and  many 
of  our  men  were  excellent  singers  ;  so  with  "  mu- 
sic, song,  and  story,"  the  time  passed  very  pleas- 
antly. 

As  the  reader  is  more  or  less  familiar  with  the 
country  through  which  we  passed,  I  will  not 
attempt  to  give  a  detailed  narrative  of  our  trip  to 
the  coast,  but  will  only  give  a  few  incidents  which 


16 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


■ 


served  to  break  the  monotony,  and  give  an  added 
spice  to  what  would  otherwise  become  tedious. 

We  encountered  huge  snowdrifts  all  through 
Nebraska  and  North  Dakota,  but  with  the  aid  of 
the  snowplow  we  pushed  through  admirably.  By 
this  time  our  train  was  made  up  of  twelve  coaches, 
and  was  loaded  exclusively  with  "  Klondikers " 
who  had  been  picked  up  along  the  way.  As 
the  train  sped  on,  the  enthusiasm  which  was  mani- 
fested at  the  start  was  somewhat  abated.  The 
people  had  become  so  accustomed  to  seeing 
train-loads  of  gold-seekers  that  they  took  it  as  a 
matter  of  course,  without  comment. 

The  larger  part  of  our  (fompany  knew  each  other 
so  well  that  jokes  were  always  in  order,  and  it  was 
a  rare  thing  for  many  hours  to  slip  past  without 
some  one  breaking  out  on  somebody  else  in  such 
a  way  as  to  create  great  merriment.  Here  is  a 
sample :  One  night  it  seemed  to  have  been 
thought  best  to  place  a  man  on  watch,  to  look  after 
things  in  general,  and  to  guard  against  "hold-ups,^' 
while  the  others  slept.  So  one  of  our  number  was 
selected  for  this  duty,  armed  with  a  well-filled 
revolver,  and  stationed  at  the  front  of  the  car, 
where  he  would  be  ready  to  do  battle  with  any  one 
who  should  attempt  to  board  the  train  with  unlaw- 
ful purposes. 


«»>'~»u«Sil|»jML 


E^<tf 


Starting  for  Alaska 


17 


after 
ups," 
r  was 
■filled 
i  car, 
ly  one 
mlaw- 


About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  sentry 
became  drowsy,  and  was  soon  fast  asleep  In  this 
condition  he  was  noticed  by  one  of  his  friends,  who 
was  always  around  when  there  was  a  chance  for  a 
bit  of  fun.  So  quietly  slipping  up  to  the  sleeping 
sentry,  he  quickly  removed  all  the  cartridges  from 
his  revolver  without  disturbing  him,  and  left  it  where 
he  had  found  it.  Then  going  through  the  car,  he 
told  several  of  the  bo>  s  whom  he  thought  would 
enjoy  the  joke,  and  together  they  suddenly  yelled, 
"  Murder  !  Robbers  !  "  Instantly  the  sentry  was 
on  his  feet,  with  revolver  grasped  tightly,  ready 
for  any  deadly  work  which  might  be  on  hand.  The 
first  intimation  that  he  had  been  sold  came  to  him 
in  the  roar  of  laughter  which  greeted  him,  as  he 
flourished  his  weapons  and  struck  his  warlike  atti- 
tude. Still  further  humiliation  greeted  him  when 
he  found  that  he  was  about  to  make  war  with  an 
empty  gun.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  he  had  to 
"  set  up  "  quite  freely  when  we  reached  Seattle. 

The  scenery  through  the  celebrated  "  bad  lands  " 
of  Dakota  was  new  to  most  of  our  party,  and  was 
greatly  enjoyed  by  all. 

While  passing  through  Wyoming,  we  discovered 
a  large  pack  of  coyotes  out  upon  the  prairie,  half  a 
mile  from  the  train.  Many  revolvers  were  emp- 
tied at  them  from  the  car  windows  while  the  train 


18 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


was  in  motion,  but  of  course  the  bullets  fell  far 
short,  and  the  simple  coyotes  were  scarcely  aware 
that  they  were  the  objects  of  interest  or  atten- 
tion. 

It  was  in  Wyoming  that  the  boys  got  their  first 
sight  of  Indians,  on  their  native  soil.  They 
attracted  much  attention,  and  many  wondered  if 
they  looked  much  like  the  Copper  River  Indians, 
about  wii^m  we  had  heard  so  much,  and  from 
whom  we  expected  trouble  before  reaching  the 
interior  of  Alaska. 

While  passing  over  the  Rockies,  the  scenery 
was  varied  and  beautiful,  and  was  much  enjoyed 
by  us  all.  The  snow  was  five  feet  deep,  but  the 
road  had  been  kept  open  by  its  frequent  trains, 
and  ours  was  not  seriously  delayed.  Notwith- 
standing the  storm  through  which  we  had  passed, 
we  were  but  five  hours  behind  schedule  time. 
While  upon  the  summit,  we  could  look  far  down 
the  mountainside,  and  see  the  road  over  which  we 
were  to  pass,  but  to  reach  which  we  had  to  wind 
around  for  many  and  many  a  mile.  Coming  down 
into  the  valley,  the  snow  had  entirely  disap- 
peared, and  grass  was  as  green  as  in  New  York 
State  in  May.  Truly  a  sudden  transition  from 
winter  into  the  lap  of  summer  ;  but  which  is  the 
mountain   traveler's  experience. 


% 


\ 


Starting  for  Alaska 


19 


The  foothills  were  covered  with  a  dense  growth 
of  low  scrub  pine,  in  which,  we  were  told  by  men 
at  the  little  stations  through  which  we  passed, 
there  was  an  abundance  of  grizzly  bears  and  other 
large  game.  The  mountain  streams  were  clear  as 
crystal,  and  were  said  to  be  filled  with  brook  trout. 
This  made  our  hunters  and  fishermen  anxious  to 
get  off  and  spend  a  few  days  trying  their  luck  in 
these  wilds  of  the  West  ;  but  as  we  were  not  on  a 
hunting  or  fishing  expedition,  they  kept  right  on 
with  the  party.  Nothing  worthy  of  note  occurred, 
and  we  rolled  into  the  station  at  Seattle  on  Satur- 
day afternoon  at  two  o'clock.  The  platform  was 
crowded  with  people,  an  '  as  we  looked  from  our 
car  window,  we  were  reminded  of  circus  day  in  a 
small  town. 

Before  our  train  came  to  a  full  standstill,  our 
secretary,  Mr.  Harry  E.  F.  King,  came  into  the 
car.  We  were  of  course  glad  to  see  him,  and  he 
seemed  glad  to  be  among  his  friends  again.  Some 
three  weeks  before,  our  company  had  sent  him  on 
to  Seattle,  as  our  advance  agent,  to  purchase  a 
schooner,  large  enough  to  transport  ourselves  and 
our  goods  to  Alaska.  He  had  purchased  for  us 
the  schooner  "  Moonlight,  "  for  which  he  had  paid 
$2,600.  He  had  written  us  about  the  purchase 
before  we  started,  and  he  had  nvade  arrangements 


% 


20 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


with  draymen  to  take  our  belongings  from  the 
station  to  the  schooner,  so  we  had  not  to  bother 
with  that.  He  conducted  us  at  once  to  the  vessel, 
but  one  block  from  the  station. 

The  morning  papers  had  given  out  that  a  car- 
load of  Yankees,  all  belonging  to  one  company, 
were  on  their  way  from  the  Eastern  States,  and 
would  be  in  Seattle  that  morning  to  "  outfit "  for 
the  Klondike  ;  and  I  believe  that  every  outfitting 
store  in  the  city  had  its  representative  at  the  sta- 
tion to  meet  us.  Every  step  of  the  way  to  the 
boat  we  were  confronted  by  hotel  porters,  hack- 
drivers,  baggage  and  express  men,  steamboat  run- 
ners, and  by  men  representing  all  manner  of 
outfitting  stations.  Besides  these,  there  were 
scores  of  men  who  had  the  latest  improved  mining 
machinery,  without  which  it  would  be  worse  than 
useless  to  go  to  the  Klondike.  Each  man  tried  to 
outdo  his  neighbor  in  setting  forth  the  advantage 
of  outfitting  from  his  p^'-ticular  house.  We  took 
all  the  cards  they  gave  us,  and  I  doubt  if  a  bushel 
basket  would  have  held  all  the  printed  matter  our 
company  had  thrust  upon  them  during  this  little 
trip  of  one  block,  from  the  station  to  the  boat. 
Talk  about  enterprise !  If  you  don't  find  it  in 
Seattle,  especially  when  they  have  a  "  fresh 
arrival"  of  good  proportions  to  work  upon,  then 


Starting  for  Alaska 


21 


I  wonder  where,  in  all  the  round  world,  it  can 
be  found  ?  Don't  think,  however,  that  we  were 
annoyed  by  the  evidence  we  saw  of  its  existence. 
On  the  contrary,  we  enjoyed  it.  Why,  were  n't  we 
Yankees  ourselves  ?  and  had  n't  the  most  of  us  come 
from  old  Conn  cticut  ?  And  if  the  enterprise  of 
the  East  had  ta;cen  on  some  new  elements,  and 
some  Western  enthusiasm,  why,  it  had  more  room, 
and  it  could. 

Of  course  we  all  took  a  lively  interest  in  the 
schooner  which  was  to  carry  us  and  our  belong- 
ings so  many  miles  over  the  great  Pacific.  We 
stepped  down  upon  her  deck  and  examined  her 
closely.  Her  masts  were  large  and  strong,  and 
her  rigging  and  sails  were  new.  Going  below  deck 
we  saw  that  her  timbers  were  strong  and  well  put 
together.  She  was  built  in  1890  by  a  Norwegian 
fisherman.  Her  length  was  69  feet  ;  beam,  28 
feet ;  depth  of  hold  below  deck,  7  feet.  She  had  a 
gross  tonnage  of  71-81,  with  a  net  registered  ton- 
nage of  68-22.  She  had  too  much  beam  to  her 
length  to  be  a  fast  sailer,  but  we  cared  little  for 
that  if  she  would  only  prove  to  be  a  safe  one.  We 
spent  the  afternoon  looking  over  the  schooner,  and 
noting  the  changes  that  must  be  made  in  fitting 
her  for  sea.  Enough  of  this  sort  of  work  was 
found  to  keep  us  busy  for  several  days. 


■TSS 


i 


22 


Gold  Hunters  in   Alaska 


The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  while  walking 
around  town  we  were  surprised  to  find  that  a  very 
large  number  of  business  houses  had  their  doors 
wide  open,  and  were  doing  business  the  same  as 
upon  other  days.  It  was  said  that  there  were 
forty  thousand  "  transients "  in  the  city,  and 
judging  from  the  crowds  everywhere  in  the 
streets,  the  number  was  not  overestimated.  Ship- 
loads were  leaving  every  day  for  the  gold  fields, 
and  many  times  a  day  there  were  new  arrivals  on 
every  incoming  train  to  take  their  places. 

On  Monday  morning  committees  were  selected 
to  take  charge  of  every  part  of  the  work  of  fitting 
our  vessel,  and  they  were  instructed  to  push  it  to 
completion  as  quickly  as  possible.  The  next  few 
days  were  busy  ones,  and  in  three  days  she  was 
ready  for  her  cargo. 

By  this  time  the  various  committees  on  supplies 
had  completed  their  work,  and  the  goods  were 
rapidly  hauled  to  the  wharf  and  stowed  away  be- 
neath the  deck  of  the  "  Moonlight."  Durin^^  the 
week  we  put  on  board  over  forty  t'^ns  of  provi- 
sions, hardware,  and  other  goods  ;  and  last,  but 
not  least,  the  celebrated  steam  sled,  which  had 
attracted  so  much  attention  in  old  Connecticut 
and  other  States.  While  bringing  it  from  the  sta- 
tion to  the  boat  large  crowds  gathered  around  it, 


Starting  for  Alaska 


23 


and  many  were  the  comments  passed  upon  it. 
Having  said  this  much,  it  may  be  well  to  give  the 
reader  a  brief  description  of  this  wonderful  piece  of 
mechanism  ;  for  it  is  quite  safe  to  say  that  nothing 
was  ever  before  made  like  it,  or  will  ever  be  again. 
The  steam  sled  was  primarily  two  very  heavy 
bobsleds,  the  runners  of  which  were  five  by 
seven  inches,  and  six  feet  in  length,  and  made 
from  timber  which  had  a  natural  crook  for  the 
bend.  The  shoes  were  of  half-inch  steel,  eighteen 
inches  wide.  They  were  both  seven  feet  wide  on 
the  ground,  and  were  fastened  one  behind  the 
other,  with  a  space  between  of  four  feet.  Upon 
these  bobs  was  fastened  a  platform  made  of  two- 
inch  plank.  It  was  eight  by  sixteen  feet  in  size, 
and  so  arranged  that  the  foremost  sled  was  left 
free  to  turn  right  or  left  as  desired.  In  the  center 
of  this  platform  sat  a  ten-horsepower  boiler 
(upright)  and  an  eight-horse  reversible  engine.  In 
the  rear  of  the  sleds  was  a  large  cylinder  two  feet 
or  more  in  diameter  and  four  feet  long,  filled  with 
heavy  spikes.  A  large  imount  of  gearing  con- 
nected this  cylinder  with  the  engine,  and  when  in 
motion  the  spikes  upon  this  cylinder  were  supposed 
to  dig  into  the  snow  or  ice  over  which  it  was  to  be 
driven,  and  it  was  supposed  that  this  machine  was 
of  sufficient  capacity  to  draw   large   loads  of  our 


^ 


24 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


goods  over  the  glaciers,  instead  of  packing  them  or 
drawing  them  by  hand. 

But  it  needed  only  a  glance  at  the  real  situation, 
ai  it  really  was,  to  convince  any  practical  man  that 
it  was  no  good  for  the  purpose  intended.  This 
was  only  another  illustration  of  the  folly  of  con- 
structing expensive  machinery  upon  a  theory  sim- 
ply, without  knowing  the  exact  conditions  which 
will  confront  it  ir  actual  operation.  To  its  origi- 
nators it  was  an  experiment,  and  proved  an  expen- 
sive one  to  the  members  of  the  company  ;  but 
what  benefit  it  might  be  to  us  we  did  not  know  at 
the  time.  So  it  was  stowed  away  in  a  place  re- 
served for  it.  It  was  expected  by  its  builders  that 
with  it  we  could  haul  our  entire  outfit  up  the  Cop- 
per River.  It  had  cost  the  company,  including 
freight  to  Seattle,  nearly  $2,000.  But  alas,  the  true 
conditions  of  things  in  this  far-off  land  had  never 
dawned  on  the  earnest  advocates  of  this  enter- 
prise, or  the  steam  sled  would  never  have  been 
built. 

In  addition  to  all  the  other  goods  taken  on 
board  the  "  Moonlight,"  our  company  took  along  a 
large  amount  of  goods  as  "trading  stock"  to  bar- 
ter with  the  Indians. 

A  Seattle  paper,  in  speaking  of  this,  said  :  "The 
innate  thrift  of  these  Connecticut  men  is  seen  by 


Starting  for  Alaska 


Ui> 


the  great  amount  of  stuff  carried  aboard  their  ves- 
sel, and  if  the  Indian  maidens  in  the  vicinity  of 
Copper  River  are  henceforth  found  decorated  with 
rings  of  purest  brass  and  beads  of  gaudy  color,  it 
will  be  known  that  the  '  Moonlight '  shed  its 
rays  of  Connecticut  hope  upon  that  far-off  coun- 
try, and  took  in  exchange  some  gold." 

We  sent  three  of  our  men  to  a  mining  school, 
where  they  would  be  put  through  a  practical 
course  of  mining  operations.  At  this  school  gold 
is  intermingled  with  dirt,  and  the  pupils  must  put 
the  dirt  through  the  sluice  boxes,  cradles,  rockers, 
and  pans,  and  remove  the  gold  from  the  dirt. 
This  school  was  held  in  the  basement  of  a  church, 
and  was  equipped  with  the  same  kind  of  machin- 
ery used  in  the  mines. 

Our  company  was  incorporated  under  the  laws 
of  the  State  of  Washington,  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$75,000.  It  may  seem  strange  to  some  that  we 
should  have  been  incorporated  in  Washington 
rather  than  in  Connecticut,  where  the  larger  part 
of  its  members  lived.  But  the  fact  is  that  the  laws 
of  Connecticut  regarding  incorporations  are  such 
that  they  could  not  be  lived  up  to  in  our  case. 
They  require  that  the  greater  portion  of  the  stock 
of  a  company  must  be  held  by  residents  of  the 
State,    and    every  member  of  our   company    was 


26 


Gold  Hunters  in   Alaska 


expected  to  be  absent  from  the  State  as  much  as 
two  years.  It  was  thought  advisable,  therefore, 
to  organize  under  the  laws  of  Washington,  which 
are  different  in  this  respect.  -  : 

On  Monday,  February  7,  we  engaged  the  serv- 
ices of  Captain  Leonard  Bare  to  take  command 
of  the  vessel,  and  also  engaged  four  sailors  and  a 
cook.  Events  proved  that  our  selection  of  captain 
and  crew  was  wise,  but  I  can  not  say  as  much  for 
the  cook  ;  for  as  soon  as  we  reached  Port  Valdez, 
it  was  unanimously  agreed  that  he  should  never 
again  ship  as  cook  on  the  "'Moonlight."  Next  day 
we  loaded  eight  thousand  feet  of  lumber,  and  took 
on  board  supplies  for  our  trip. 

Everything  was  now  ready,  and  we  were  only 
v.'aiting  for  our  clearance  papers  to  get  under  sail. 
These  were  somewhat  delayed,  and  it  was  not 
until  the  afternoon  of  February  9,  that  word  was 
sent  out  that  papers  were  received,  and  that  the 
"  Moonlight ''  would  set  sail  in  twenty  minutes.  In 
an  instant  all  was  confusion  on  board,  and  as  some 
of  the  boys  were  on  the  shore,  we  began  to  feel 
anxious  lest  they  might  get  left.  Couriers  were 
sent  out  to  hurry  them  up,  and  in  about  fifteen  min- 
utes our  secretary  mounted  the  boom,  and  in  a 
loud,  clear  voice,  called  the  roll,  and  every  man 
responded  to  his  name. 


CHAPTER   III 


SETTING   SAIL  ON   THE   GREAT   PACIFIC 


The  little  tug  "Mayflower,"  which  had  been 
engaged  for  the  purpose,  steamed  alongside,  and 
began  making  preparations  for  towing  us  out  into 
the  sound.  Hand-shaking  with  the  new-made 
friends  of  Seattle  was  soon  over,  the  lines  were 
cast  off,  and  the  little  tug  was  slowly  towing  us 
toward  the  great  ocean. 

As  the  boat  left  the  wharf,  three  rousing  cheers 
were  given  for  the  State  of  Connecticut.  Then 
one  of  the  boys  climbed  into  the  rigging  with  his 
piccolo,  and  began  playing  "The  Girl  I  Left 
Behind  Me."  And  amid  the  waving  of  hats  and 
handkerchiefs,  the  little  tug  bore  out  to  sea,  not 
only  the  high  hopes  of  the  brave  men  on  board,  but 
the  hopes  of  a  larger  number  of  wives,  mothers, 
sweethearts,  and  kindred  of  every  tie,  besides  the 
warm  friendships  of  a  lifetime  in  the  far  East. 
For  it  must  be  remembered  that  a  sail  on  the 
ocean  was  a  new  experience  to  almost,  if  not  quite, 
all  our  company.  And  it  will  not  be  thought 
strange  if  there  were  in  that  crowd  of  apparently 

27 


pmm 


28 


Go/d  Hiinters   in    Alaska 


ill 


Mi 


:i  I 


cheerful,  hopeful  men  an  undertow  of  very  seri- 
ous feelings,  and  an  inward  questioning  as  to  what 
might  be  the  outcome  of  this  long  trip ;  and 
whether  it  would  prove  to  be  simply  a  phantom 
chase,  with  only  blasted  hope's  for  a  recompense, 
or  whether  all  this  cheerful  and  hopeful  crowd 
would  again  set  foot  on  the  shore  we  had  just 
left.  Well,  if  this  was  so,  we  think  there'are  few, 
who  have  had  any  similar  experience,  who  have 
it  in  their  hearts  to  chide  our  boys  with  •*  weak- 
ness." The  sound  was  soon  reached,  sails  were 
hoisted,  and  as  they  caught  the  light  breeze,  the 
little  tug  gave  the  signal  that  she  had  turned  us 
loose.  As  we  moved  slowly  down  the  sound,  dark- 
ness settled  over  the  waters,  and  the  lights  from 
the  city  made  a  sight  not  soon  to  be  forgotten. 
Then  there  came  a  calm,  and  for  two  hours  we  lay 
almost  absolutely  motionless.  Our  musical  mem- 
bers brought  out  their  instruments,  and  made 
melody  on  the  waters,  and  the  time  passed  pleas- 
antly and  quickly  away.  About  nine  o'clock  all 
hands  of  us  turned  in  for  the  night  and  slept  awi./ 
our  first  night  at  sea.  During  the  night  the  wind 
sprang  up,  and  daylight  found  us  sixty  miles  from 
Seattle.  There  was  a  small  amount  of  work  to  be 
done  below  deck,  and  after  breakfast  a  few  of  us, 
myself  among  the  number,   went  down  to  do  it. 


111! 

131 


Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific       29 


But  we  were  soon  glad  to  get  on  deck  again,  for 
the  sea  began  rolling,  and  shortly  after,  as  we 
looked  from  man  to  man  about  the  deck,  we 
notir-d  that  a  pallid  look  had  settled  down  upon 
many  faces.  Soon  fully  one  half  of  the  boys  were 
lined  up  along  the  side  of  the  vessel,  and  seemed 
to  have  a  frequent  and  uncontrollable  desire  to 
lean  over  the  rail,  and  make  suggestive  motions 
to  the  sea. 

Before  eleven  o'clock  the  sea  calmed  down,  and 
by  noon  all  but  a  few  were  able  to  do  ample  jus- 
tice to  dinner.  During  the  afternoon  we  were 
favored  with  a  light  breeze,  which  moved  us  along 
at  a  four-knot  rate.  We  passed  large  quantities 
of  floating  sea-weed,  and  fished  out  some  beautiiul 
specimens  of  it ;  and  often  the  remark  was  heard, 
"Oh,  if  I  could  only  have  that  at  home."  But 
alas !  such  a  thing  could  not  be,  and  the  find 
would  be  thrown  back  into  the  sea.  Just  at  dark 
the  little  breeze  which  had  been  moving  us  along 
leisurely  during  the  afternoon,  died  out  entirely, 
and  left  us  in  a  dead  calm.  We  had  been  twenty- 
four  hours  out,  and  the  captain  informed  us  that 
we  were  seventy-five  miles  from  Seattle. 

When  daylight  came  next  morning,  we  found 
we  were  ten  miles  nearer  Seattle  than  we  were 
the  night  before.     The  tide  had   borne  us  back- 


'^€'' 


;!S 


30 


Go/d  Hunters   in   Alaska 


ward  while  we  lay  helpless  without  wind  for  our 
sails.  The  men  began  to  get  uneasy  because  we 
were  making  so  little  headway,  and  it  seemed  to 
be  the  forerunner  of  general  fault-finding. 

About  eleven  o'clock  a  whale  was  sighted  a 
short  distance  from  the  vessel,  and  immediately 
the  men  forgot  their  uneasiness,  and  all  stood 
watching  the  great  black  fish,  as  he  moved  lazily 
along  on  the  surface  of  the  water.  We  also  saw 
large  numbers  of  seals.  The  little  animals  would 
raise  their  sleek-looking  heads  about  a  foot  above 
the  surface,  look  at  us  a  moment,  and  then  dis- 
appear. 

Dinner-time  found  us  still  becalmed,  and  drift- 
ing with  the  tide.  About  two  o'clock  a  breeze 
was  felt  from  off  our  lea  bow.  It  struck  us  lightly 
at  first,  but  began  to  increase  until  our  boat  was 
scudding  through  the  water  at  a  terrific  rate,  and 
in  another  hour  the  sea  was  lashing  itself  into 
foam,  and  the  spray  was  dashing  over  our  deck. 
Near  Cape  Flattery  is  a  small  harbor,  in  which  it 
was  our  captain's  intention  to  take  refuge,  if  possi- 
ble, until  the  worst  of  the  gale  had  spent  itself; 
but  about  this  time  the  wind  changed  to  dead 
ahead,  and  all  hope  of  reaching  the  harbor  was 
cut  off,  and  all  we  could  do  was  to  tack  back  and 
forth    across   the   straits.      As   darkness   came,   a 


Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific       31 

gloom  seemed  to  settle  down  on  all  the  men,  and 
no  one  had  much  to  say.  One  by  one  they  went 
below  and  turned  in,  but  very  few  of  them  could 
sleep  for  the  fearful  pitching  of  the  vessel. 

About  midnight  the  wind  ceased,  and  the  boat 
was  left  with  flapping  sails,  and  rolled  helplessly 
in  the  trough  of  the  sea.  Toward  morning  of 
February  12,  a  slight  breeze  sprang  up,  and  we 
made  a  little  progress  until  about  nine  o'clock, 
when  we  were  again  becalmed.  The  sea  con- 
tinued to  run  high,  though  we  had  no  wind,  and 
the  boys  were  mostly  lined  up  against  the  ship's 
rail,  and  looked  as  if  they  had  lost  every  friend  they 
ever  had.  During  the  forenoon  we  drifted  several 
miles  backward  toward  Seattle,  but  before  noon  a 
light  breeze  filled  our  sails,  and  we  moved  slowly 
along  past  the  island  of  Vancouver,  whose  shores 
were  in  plain  view,  and  seemed  heavily  timbered 
with  spruce.  At  two  o'clock  the  wind  fresh- 
ened from  the  north,  and  we  were  able  to  take 
a  westeily  course.  The  wind  kept  on  increas- 
ing, and  when  darkness  set  in,  we  were  fast 
leaving  Cape  Flattery  and  Vancouver.  As  the 
wind  increased,  so  did  the  waves,  and  our  little 
craft  was  soon  being  tossed  about  on  the  water 
like  a  veritable  cork.  By  eight  o'clock  the  wind 
had  become  a  gale,   and  the  waves  were  rolling 


32 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


mountain  high.  All  hands  were  ordered  below 
except  the  sailors.  We  obeyed,  and  went  to  bed  ; 
but  it  was  almost  impossible  to  remain  there. 
Not  a  man  could  sleep  for  the  tremendous  rolling 
of  the  ship,  and  the  roaring  of  the  seas  as  they 
swept  the  deck  from  bow  to  stern. 

At  3:30  Sunday  morning,  February  13,  the 
wind  lulled  somewhat,  but  the  sea  continued  to 
run  high.  After  daylight  the  wind  changed  to 
dead  ahead,  and  we  were  obliged  to  change  our 
course  to  the  southeast.  The  captain  said  that 
he  wanted  to  get  at  least  one  hundred  miles  off 
Vancouver  Island  before  he  dared  to  lay  his 
course,  for  fear  another  storm  might  come  which 
would  drive  us  on  the  coast.  Our  boat  was  sup- 
plied with  neither  keel  nor  center  board,  which 
kept  us  from  running  close  into  the  wind,  and  we 
were  often  drifted  far  out  of  our  course. 

All  day  Sunday,  with  scarcely  wind  enough  to 
fill  our  sails,  we  kept  on  a  southeast  course.  The 
sea  continued  to  run  high,  and  all  but  five  or  six 
of  the  men  were  sick,  many  of  them  so  bad  as  to 
be  scarcely  able  to  raise  their  heads  from  their 
bunks.  The  cook  was  too  sick  to  attend  to  his 
duties,  and  two  of  our  number,  Messrs.  James 
Simpson  and  Daniel  O'  Connell,  took  their  places 
in  the  cook's  galley,  and  during  the  balance  of  the 


Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific 


33 


trip  they  were  conspicuous  characters  around  that 
part  of  the  ship.  Often  the  appetites  of  the  men 
who  had  eaten  nothing  for  some  days  would  be 
tempted  by  some  delicacies  prepared  by  these 
boys,  and  were  thus  enabled  to  eat  something, 
when  otherwise  they  could  not  have  tasted  food 
at  all.  They  were  not  sick  during  the  entire  voy- 
age, and  were  thus  able  to  render  valuable  service 
to  very  many  who  were  too  sick  themselves  to  do 
anything,  even  to  the  caring  for  their  own  needs. 

Sunday  night  came  and  went  with  no  breeze, 
and  we  drifted  around  with  our  sails  flapping. 
Monday  morning,  February  14,  brought  rain  and 
fog,  but  about  nine  o'clock  the  sails  began  to 
tighten  in  a  light  breeze  from  the  northeast,  and 
we  were  able  to  take  a  westerly  course. 

Many  of  the  boys  began  to  be  homesick.  Could 
they  have  been  now  set  back  at  home,  nothing  in 
the  wide  world  could  have  tempted  them  to  again 
embark  on  such  an  enterprise.  But  it  was  too 
late  for  such  thoughts  now  ;  we  were  all  in  it,  and 
must  get  out  as  best  we  could,  if  indeed  we  were 
ever  to  get  out  at  all. 

After  dinner  the  wind  freshened,  and  the  sea 
again  began  to  run  high,  and  by  four  o'clock  it 
had  become  a  gale.  All  sails  were  taken  in,  and 
we  were  running  before  the  wind  with  bare  poles. 


84 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


'i^. 


The  captain  ordered  just  enough  sail  hoisted  to 
give  the  boat  steerage-way,  and  then  lashed  the 
wheel  to  position. 

The  roaring  of  the  sea  was  something  terrible. 
Our  little  craft  was  first  on  the  crest  of  a  great 
wave,  apd  then  far  down  in  the  trough  of  the 
deep.  Monstrous  waves  would  sweep  clean  over 
her,  and  all  night  long  it  seemed  impossible  that 
any  boat  could  live  the  storm  out  in  such  a  sea. 
But  our  little  schooner  proved  that  she  was  stanch 
and  true,  and  in  a  master's  hands,  for  daylight  of 
our  sixth  day  out  dawned  upon  us,  and  she  was 
all  right.  Not  a  timber  was  strained,  not  a  leak 
had  occurred,  not  a  spar  had  been  shivered,  but 
at  leasr  twenty-five  of  our  boys  were  too  sick  to 
leave  the  r  bunks,  and  very  few  could  say  that 
they  we.e  well.  Some  were  anxious  to  turn  back 
and  give  up  all  they  had  put  into  the  enterprise, 
but  the  majority  were  for  pushing  ahead.  The 
wind  was  too  high  all  day  to  carry  much  sail,  and 
all  our  ship  could  do  was  to  hold  her  own. 

Toward  night  the  weather  turned  piercing  cold, 
and  a  blinding  snow-storm  set  in.  This  greatly 
increased  our  discomfort,  for  our  stove  in  the  fore- 
castle smoked  so  that  we  could  have  no  fire.  We 
had  twenty-six  men  forward  and  sixteen  in  the 
£abin,  and  our  quarters  were  very  much  cramped 


Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific 


:^5 


because  of  having  so  much  freight,  and  so  many 
sick.  I  assure  the  reader  that  our  position  was 
not  an  enviable  one.  None  of  us  thought  we  were 
having  a  "  picnic." 

Our  captain  here  took  his  reckoning,  and  found 
that  we  were  one  hundred  and  seventy  miles  from 
Cape  Flattery,  and  one  hundred  miles  from  Van- 
couver ;  so  we  had  at  least  two  weeks  more  of 
sailing  to  expect  before  reaching  our  destination. 
Night  set  in  with  the  wind  still  in  our  teeth,  and 
blowing  too  hard  to  carry  much  sail.  All  Tuesday 
night  we  rolled  and  tossed  about  at  the  mercy  of 
the  waves.  I  shall  never  forget  the  appearance  of 
the  sea,  as  I  stood  on  deck  just  before  dark,  cling- 
ing to  the  rigging,  and  looked  out  over  the  angry 
waves.  The  water  looked  to  be  as  black  as  ink. 
Over  the  bow  of  the  vessel  I  saw  great  waves  that 
appeared  to  be  forty  feet  high  come  rolling  toward 
our  little  craft,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  next 
moment  we  must  be  swallowed  up  in  the  great 
deep.  But  the  little  thing  would  be  lifted  up,  for 
a  moment  poise  on  the  crest,  and  then  make 
another  plunge  far  down,  till  it  seemed  as  if  we 
were  surely  to  rise  no  more.  The  awful  grandeur 
of  that  scene  can  never  be  effaced  from  the  mem- 
ory of  those  who  saw  i'..  Men  may  strut  vnd  swell 
on  land,  and   even   on  the  water  may  feel  some- 


36 


Gold  Hunters   tn   Alaska 


i".*, 
■&• 


I. 


what  important  while  the  sea  is  smooth,  and  all 
things  go  well ;  but  at  such  a  time  as  this,  when 
nature's  elements  are  marshaled  as  for  deadly- 
combat,  and  set  themselves  to  a  test  of  strength, 
one  can  but  feel  that  he  '  ;  less  than  a  speck  of  the 
great  creation.  If  the  reader  ever  feels  that  he  or 
?he  is  quite  large,  just  take  such  a  trip  as  this,  and 
you  will  be  cured  for  all  time  —  that  is,  if  you  are 
sensible. 

Wednesday,  February  16,  brought  no  change  in 
the  wind,  and  we  seemed  to  be  just  drifting  about, 
and  getting  no  nearer  Valdez,  which  was  our  des- 
tination ;  and  this  caused  some  of  our  men  to  lose 
courage,  and  long  for  an  opportunity  to  get  once 
more  on  solid  land.  I  felt  sorry  for  some  of 
the  boys,  for  they  looked  the  picture  of  despair. 
Others  seemed  full  of  hope  and  courage,  and 
apparently  never  had  a  thought  of  turning  back. 

About  noon  the  wind,  which  had  been  blowing 
a  gale  for  two  days  and  nights,  changed  slightly 
to  the  southwest,  and  a  severe  hail-storm  set  in. 
We  put  up  our  sails  double-reeftd,  and  turned  the 
ship  northwest,  and  were  able  to  make  some 
progress  against  the  terrible  seas  which  some- 
times swept  our  decks.  Toward  night  the  wind 
gathered  st.^ngth  for  another  reign  of  fury, 
and  fury  it  was.     There  was  little  sleep  on  board 


\imm 


Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific        37 

the  "  Moonlight"  that  night,  though  the  men  were 
tired  enough  to  sleep  almost  anyhow  ;  but  the 
vessel  rolled  so  that  one  could  scarcely  keep  in 
his  bunk. 

Thursday  morning,  February  17,  our  eighth  day 
out,  came,  and  brought  with  it  rain  and  some 
snow.  The  wind  was  still  very  high,  and  our 
little  ship  labored  heavily,  as  she  took  plunge 
alter  plunge  into  the  seething  waters. 

During  these  rough  days  it  was  amusing  to  see 
the  boys  come  on  deck,  and  make  for  the  cook's 
galley  for  breakfast  or  dinner,  as  the  case  might 
be.  There  it  was  dished  up,  and  every  man,  on 
receiving  his  plate  of  food  and  cup  of  coffee,  would 
make  an  attempt  to  reach  the  hatchwpy ;  but 
before  he  could  reach  it,  tne  ship  would  make  a 
sudden  lunge,  and  he  would  go  sliding  across  the 
deck,  and  in  his  eagerness  to  catch  on  to  some- 
thing would  lose  his  coffee  or  his  plate,  and  per- 
haps both.  He  was  considered  a  lucky  fellow 
indeed  if  he  got  below  with  his  meal,  without  hav- 
ing it  drenched  with  salt  water. 

All  day  the  wind  blew  from  the  southwest,  and 
we  made  but  little  advance  because  we  were 
obliged  to  carry  so  little  sail,  and  the  great  waves 
kept  beating  us  back.  The  sick  seemed  generally 
better,  although  a  few  were  still  very  ill.     In  the 


'    '.J^ 


•i 


I' 


I 


¥ 


; 


38 


Go/d  Hunters  in  Alaska 


afternoon  again  the  wind  and  waves  increased 
so  much  that  by  six  o'clock  it  was  lext  to  impos- 
sible to  get  on  deck  for  any  Sr;;'3'  nd  few  of 
the  men  made  any  effort  in  thai  dj/ection.  All 
night  long  the  wind  and  sea  were  something  ter- 
rible. About  midnight  our  jib-sail  was  carried 
away,  and  the  terrific  plunging  of  the  vessel 
caused  great  fear  among  all  on  board  ;  and  not 
without  reason,  for  it  did  seem  that  no  boat,  great 
or  small,  could  outride  such  a  sea.  Our  little  boat 
would  come  up  out  of  each  immersion,  seeming  to 
shake  herself  as  the  waters  poured  off  her  deck, 
thus  getting  ready  for  another  plunge.  Ji  en 
board  passed  the  night  without  sleep,  hi  t  ,. -rd 
morning  the  wind  subsided  a  little,  ena.bir.'i  u  .  to 
put  out  a  little  more  sail,  although  the  sea  hai.  t^  j 
appearance  of  a  great  body  of  boiling  suds.  Few 
were  able  to  eat  any  breakfast ;  but  about  ten 
o'clock  the  sun,  which  we  had  not  seen  in  several 
days,  made  it?  appearance,  and  the  sea  so  far  sub- 
sided as  not  to  break  over  our  decks,  "^'^as  n't  it  a 
treat  .^  After  such  a  fearful  baptism  a  .•vrs  had 
been  for  so  many  days,  old  Sol  never  Si.;  ne  with 
such  an  interesting  fane    so  we  thought. 

The  doctor  tock  this  frasion  to  oider  every 
man  on  deck  for  pure  ais,  and  the  well  ones  had  to 
assist  the  sick.     A  few  were  very  sick,  and  they 


If 


Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific 


39 


were  carefully  wrapped  in  blankets  and  carried 
up,  and  seemed  much  benefited  by  it. 

A  large  gooney,  or  albatross,  had  been  follow- 
ing us  all  day,  picking  up  what  crumbs  or  other 
things  had  been  thrown  overboard,  and  we 
made  an  effort  to  capture  it  with  a  hook  baited 
with  pork  and  attached  to  a  long  line.  Several 
times  he  made  the  effort  to  secure  the  bait,  but 
the  boat  was  mov'ng  too  fast,  and  we  had  to  see 
him  fall  out  of  the  chase. 

At  two  o'clock  the  wind  died  out  entirely,  and 
by  eight  o'clock  we  were  again  in  a  dead  calm. 
The  sun  had  shone  brightly  all  the  afternoon,  and 
a  great  portion  of  the  time  had  been  spent  by  the 
men  on  deck,  and  had  been  greatly  enjoyed,  as 
the  sen.  had  become  comparatively  smooth.  Soon 
after  ci^ul  o'clock,  however,  the  wind  began  to 
freshen,  and  we  were  not  destined  to  enjoy  a  long 
rest  from  the  rower  of  the  blast.  By  midnight  we 
were  in  it  again,  but  our  ship  was  running  before 
it,  and  was  behaving  splendidly,  and  we  had  the 
satisfaction  of  knowing  that  for  every  hour  passed 
at  that  rate  we  were  eleven  miles  nearer  Copper 
River. 

On  February  19,  at  the  first  dawn  of  day,  I  went 
on  deck,  and  the  sight  that  met  my  gaze  was  one 
never  to  be  forgotten.     The  wind  was  blowing  at 


I 


il 


^       I  f 


40 


Go/d  Hunters  in   Alaska 


r      ■; , 

^  Ij 


a  tremendous  rate,  and  the  g-eat  seas,  fully  forty- 
feet  high,  were  chasing  each  other  over  the  deep. 
Each  wave  was  crested  with  foam  as  white  as 
snow,  while  underneath  was  a  line  of  deep  sea 
blue.     It  was  terrible,  yet  grand  to  look  upon. 

Our  sick  were  much  better,  and  the  thought 
that  we  were  being  rapidly  borne  toward  our  des- 
tination caused  the  men  to  be  more  cheerful  and 
hopeful.  Nevertheless  it  was  the  most  terrible 
day  we  had  yet  experienced.  One  thing  was  in 
our  fa  or,  we  had  plenty  of  sea  room  to  run  before 
the  gale.  Great  seas  washed  our  deck  all  day, 
our  jib-sail  was  again  carried  away,  and  one  of 
our  boats  torn  loose  from  its  fastenings.  Several 
seas  swept  over  the  cook's  galley,  which  was  six 
feet  above  deck.  Two  men  were  cutting  steak 
from  a  quarter  of  beef,  when  a  great  wave  broke 
over  the  ship,  carrying  men  and  beef  across  to  the 
opposite  side,  and  one  of  them  was  considerably 
injured  against  the  rail.  After  this,  no  one  but 
the  sailors  was  allowed  on  deck  while  the  storm 
lasted,  and  they  worked  much  of  the  time  in  water. 
We  were  now  all  cooped  up  below  deck,  and  wi^h 
so  much  sickness,  the  air  soon  became  very  foul. 
Our  discomfort  was  increased  by  being  obliged 
to  hold  fast  to  something  all  the  time  to  keep  from 
being  flung  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  vessel.    < 


Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific        41 


Night  came  on,  but  brought  us  no  relief.  As 
darkness  settled  over  us,  the  storm  seemed  to 
increase  in  fury,  and  all  night  long  the  demons  of 
the  deep  and  air  appeared  as  if  turned  loose.  To 
us,  shut  up  below,  and  listening  to  the  creaking  of 
the  ship,  the  roaring  of  the  wind,  and  the  rushing 
of  the  great  waters,  and  unable  to  see  anything  of 
what  was  going  on,  it  se^-^  .^a  as  if  every  lurch  we 
made  was  a  dow  ard  plunge  from  which  we 
might  not  arise.  Small  wonder  that  the  night 
was  one  of  grrat  tension  on  nerves  so  wholly 
unused  to  such  a  life,  or  that  the  hours  were 
weary  ones  while  we  waited  for  the  morning. 

At  last  Sunday  morning  dawnef\  It  was  our 
second  Sunday  at  sea.  About  ten  o'clock  the 
storm  began  to  abate,  and  by  two  in  the  afternoon 
the  sails  were  flapping  idly,  with  not  a  btceze  to 
fill  them.  The  ocean  continued  to  run  high  until 
evening,  when  it  calmed  down  considerably,  and 
we  passed  a  comfortable  night. 

Not  having  a  clergyman  on  board,  the  day  was 
not  observed  very  religiously  ;  for  not  more  than 
one  or  two  of  our  company,  and  none  of  the  crew, 
pretended  to  be  Christians.  Yet  after  so  many  days 
of  glaring  into  the  very  jaws  of  death,  as  we  had 
done,  we  can  but  think  that  a  feeling  akin  to  grati- 
tude must  have  taken  possession  of  every  thought- 


42 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


t 


lul  person.  Of  course  the  boys  slept  soundly  after 
having  been  kept  awake  so  long. 

Monday  morning,  February  21,  dawned  bright 
and  clear,  and  all  hands  were  allowed  to  come  on 
deck  to  enjoy  the  occasion.  We  were  soon  scud- 
ding along  under  full  sail,  and  made  fair  prog- 
ress. The  whole  of  that  day  and  the  following 
night  we  had  favoring  winds,  and  we  were  nearing 
our  destination  at  a  commendable  rate. 

Tuesday,  February  22,  was  bright  and  much 
colder.  We  had  hoped  to  be  at  our  journey's  end 
by  this  time,  but  instead  we  were  but  a  little  over 
half  way  there.  By  favorable  weather,  however, 
we  hoped  to  cast  anchor  in  Prince  William  Sound 
within  another  week.  All  day  Tuesday  we  made 
but  five  knots  an  .  hour,  and  that  not  in  a  direct 
course,  for  we  had  head  winds,  and  were  com- 
pelled to  bear  to  the  southwest.  That  night  gave 
us  a  placid  sea,  and  the  boys  got  a  fine  night's 
sleep. 

Wednesday,  clear  and  cold.  After  the  sea  be- 
came smooth,  the  sick  improved  rapidly,  and  soon, 
with  but  frw  exceptions,  were  able  to  eat  heartily. 

The  captain  took  his  observations,  and  reported 
that  we  were  595  miles  from  Port  Valdez.  This 
was  a  disappointment  to  us  all,  for  we  supposed 
we  were  much  nearer. 


Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific       43 


In  the  afternoon  considerable  excitement  was 
created  by  the  sighting  of  four  whales,  and  all 
hands  were  on  deck  in  short  order.  They  re- 
mained several  minutes  on  the  surface,  then  sud- 
denly disappeared.  All  that  afternoon  we  moved 
but  little,  there  being  scarcely  any  breeze.  Shortly 
after  nine  that  evening  our  sails  were  moderately 
filled,  and  by  eight  o'clock  next  morning  we  had 
made  sixty  miles. 

About  noon,  Thursday,  the  wind  died  out,  and 
we  were  left  in  another  calm,  which  lasted  nearly 
all  night.  Toward  Friday  morning  the  wind 
freshened,  and  we  made  five  knots  an  hour,  when 
we  were  again  left  in  a  calm  which  continued  until 
after  midnight. 

When  we  awoke  Friday  morning,  February  26, 
we  were  running  under  full  sail,  and  making  six 
miles  an  hour.  The  breeze  continued  all  day  Sat- 
urday, and  during  the  night  had  increased  so  that 
by  Sunday  morning  the  sea  was  again  running 
very  high  ;  but  we  were  making  good  time,  and 
that  was  becoming   a  chief  consideration. 

Sunday  morning,  February  27,  our  eighteenth 
day  out,  the  weather  was  much  colder,  and  all 
hands  passed  the  greater  part  of  the  day  below 
decks.  We  were  now  nearly  opposite  Prince  Wil- 
liam Sound,  though  still  far  out  at  sea.     The  wind 


44 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


I 


I 


was  not  favorable  for  running  in,  and  so  we  had  to 
tack  back  and  forth  until  the  wind  should  favor  us. 
We  had  now  been  so  long  at  sea  that  the  men 
hailed  with  delight  any  breeze  which  helped  us 
along  toward  our  journey's  end.  But  a  contrary 
wind  gave  us  no  pleasure,  you  may  be  sure  ;  and 
when  we  were  obliged  to  turn  the  bow  of  our  boat 
away  from  Prince  William  Sound  for  no  one  knew 
how  long,  we  were  not  in  the  best  of  humor. 

Monday,  February  28,  was  a  beautiful  day.  The 
sun  shone  brightly,  and  the  thermometer  regis- 
tered at  40°  above  zero.  On  this  day  we  caught 
our  first  sight  of  the  snow-capped  peaks  of  Alaska. 
Toward  night  a  dense  fog  arose,  and  not  daring 
to  remain  so  near  shore,  we  put  out  to  sea,  and 
ran  before  the  wind  several  hours  ;  then  coming 
around,  we  began  tacking  toward  shore. 

On  Tuesday  morning,  March  1,  the  fog  cleared 
and  we  again  sighted  land,  and  ran  up  to  within 
forty  miles.  We  could  see  that  the  whole  country 
was  covered  with  snow,  and  looked  desolate 
enough  ;  but  we  felt  to  welcome  almost  anything 
for  the  privilege  of  setting  foot  once  more  on  solid 
ground.  In  the  afternoon  we  ran  up  to  within 
about  twenty  miles  of  shore,  and  could  see  the 
lay  of  the  country  quite  distinctly.  Ahead  of  us  was 
an  immense  glacier,  the  first  we  had  seen,  and  we 


Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific        45 


spent  much  time  examining  it  through  our  glasses. 
There  were  places  upon  the  foothills  where  the 
snow  must  have  been  over  a  hundred  feet  deep, 
for  we  could  see  that  the  tops  of  the  tall  spruce 
trees  were  only  just  visible  above  the  snow  line. 
Five  or  ten  miles  out  from  shore  stood  several 
rocks  towering  hundreds  of  feet  above  the  waters, 
like  sentinels,  to  guide  the  mariners  into  Prince 
William  Sound,  which  was  thirty-five  miles  dis- 
tant. Storms  are  of  such  frequent  occurrence 
along  this  coast  that  we  dared  not  pass  the  night 
near  shore,  so  we  turned  about  and  put  out  to  sea  ; 
and  it  was  well  we  did,  for  about  eight  o'clock  the 
wind  increased  so  that  we  had  to  reef  our  sails. 
The  sea  became  very  rough,  and  we  passed 
another  sleepless  night.  We  kept  out  to  sea  until 
four  o'clock  Wednesday  morning,  when  we  put 
about  and  stood  toward  shore.  When  daylight 
appeared  we  were  out  of  sight  of  land  ;  but  soon 
the  snow-capped  mountains  were  sighted,  and  we 
ran  toward  them  all  day,  keeping  as  close  into  the 
wind  as  possible.  When  within  twenty  miles  of 
shore  we  found  that  we  had  gained  but  twenty-five 
miles  during  our  sail  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles,  and  were  yet  ten  miles  below  the  entrance 
of  the  sound.  We  were  therefore  obliged  to  put 
out   to  sea  for  another  night. 


■/^■X 


fl 


46 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


On  the  morning  of  March  3,  after  sailing  all  night, 
we  found  ourselves  in  sight  of  shore,  but  becalmed. 
The  entrance  to  the  sound  was  directly  in  front  of 
us.  About  noon  the  wind  began  to  blow  offshore, 
and  we  began  to  tack  back  and  forth,  hoping  to  be 
able  to  enter  the  sound  before  dark.  The  clouds 
looked  threatening,  and  it  was  evident  that 
another  storm  was  gathering,  so  we  decided,  if 
possible,  to  ran  into  Mc  Leod's  Bay,  which  is  a 
small  body  of  water  near  the  entrance  to  Prince 
William  Sound.  The  entrance  to  it  was  narrow 
and  rocky,  and  it  was  with  feelings  of  relief  that 
we  got  inside,  and  dropped  anchor  in  a  splendid 
spot  near  the  shore  of   Montague  Island. 

The  little  bay  was  three  miles  long  and  one 
mile  wide,  and  surrounded  on  three  sides  by 
mountains  one  mile  high.  It  was  a  most  dismal- 
looking  place.  The  shores  were  heavily  timbered 
with  spruce,  which  extended  up  the  mountainside 
for  half  a  mile,  at  which  point  the  tall  trees  were 
nearly  buried  in  snow,  and  above  that  point  noth- 
ing was  visible  but  snow  and  ice. 

Having  been  so  long  at  sea,  our  drinking 
water,  which  was  carried  in  barrels  upon  deck, 
had  become  stale  and  really  unfit  for  use  ;  so  we 
decided  to  go  on  shore,  and,  if  possible,  replenish 
our  stock.     Night  had    set   in,   and    it  was   very 


I 


Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific        47 


dark,  yet  we  lowered  a  boat,  and  five  men  went 
on  shore.  They  had  been  cooped  up  so  long  on 
the  vessel  that  as  soon  as  they  set  foot  on  shore, 
though  it  was  dark,  and  the  snow  deep,  they  at 
once  began  to  run  races  up  and  down,  and  acted 
like  schoolboys  just  let  o,ut  of  school. 

As  they  were  walking  along  the  beach  in  their 
search  for  water,  they  were  greatly  surprised  to 
come  across  a  small  cabin,  nestled  close  to  the  foot 
of  the  mountains  under  some  large  spruce  trees. 
They  had  no  light  to  examine  it,  so  they  returned 
to  the  boat  and  secured  a  lantern,  and  returned  to 
the  cabin.  They  found  it  deserted,  but  it  gave 
evidence  of  having  been  occupied  within  a  few 
weeks  past.  It  was  built  of  poles,  and  covered 
with  thin  shibs  split  out  of  spruce  logs.  On  the 
ground  in  one  corner  was  a  bed  made  of  spruce 
boughs,  large  enough  to  accommodate  two  or 
three  men.  A  few  slab  shelves  were  up  around 
the  wall.  Scattered  arour  i  upon  the  ground  floor, 
and  also  about  on  the  exterior,  were  the  bones 
of  some  animals  which  had  evidently  been  used 
for  food  by  its  occupants.  Who  had  built  it, — 
whether  white  men  or  Indians,  or  for  what  pur- 
pose, in  such  a  desolate  and  deserted  spot,  was  ot 
course  only  a  matter  for  speculation.  It  proved 
this,  however,  that  we  were  not  the  first  human 


48 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


beings  who  had  put  foot  on  this  inhospitable 
shore.       -''''■  -■ '  ■•  ■'''^■' ■'■■"'' 

After  looking  over  their  find  until  satisfied, 
they  continued  their  search  for  water,  and  were 
rewarded  by  finding  a  clear  stream  coming  down 
from  the  mountainside.  They  filled  their  buck- 
ets, and  hastened  back  to  the  vessel,  and  had  only 
been  there  a  few  moments  when  the  orm  broke 
on  us  in  terrible  fury.     It  is  needle  say  that 

we  were  exceedingly  glad  for  such  a  shelter  as 
our  little  bay  afforded  ;  for  had  our  schooner  beea 
out  in  the  sound,  she  must  almost  certainly  have 
been  driven  upon  tliv-'  rocky  coast,  and  what  our 
fate  would  have  beei  ve  shuddered  to  conjecture. 
As  it  was,  she  dragged  anchor,  and  before  morn- 
ing grounded  on  a  sandbar  ;  but  by  taking  advan- 
tage of  the  tide,  we  succeeded  in  getting  her  in 
deep  water  again.  But  the  weather  looked  so 
threatening  that  we  decided  to  remain  the  day 
out  in  our  snug  little  harbor.  We  made  an  effort 
to  catch  some  codfish,  but  found  the  water  too 
shallow  for  them.  We  did,  however,  catch  some 
very  fine  starfish  —  the  finest  that  I  had  ever 
seen.  One  of  these  measured  nearly  eighteen 
inches  across,  and  had  seventeen  points.  Some 
of  these  would  have  been  valuable  additions  to 
any   collection,  and  I  confess    that  I  coveted   au 


Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific        49 


least  one  to  put  with  my  other  specimens  at 
home  ;  but  alas,  we  had  no  place  to  accommo- 
date such  curios,  so  we  threw  them  back  into 
the  bay. 

During  the  day  we  all  went  ashore  and  treated 
ourselves  to  a  good  wash  in  fresh  water,  the  first 
in  twenty-t^  j  days  ;  for  on  board  the  schooner 
we  were  only  allowed  to  use  fresh  water  for  culi- 
nary purposes,  so  had  to  wash  in  sea-water  during 
the  entire  trip. 

Toward  night  the  wind  changed,  and  we 
weighed  anchor,  and  before  dark  were  sailing 
up  Prince  William  Sound  within  seventy-five 
miles  of  Port  Valdez.  Saturday  morning,  March 
6,  found  us  becalmed,  thirty-five  miles  from  our 
destination.  We  sighted  a  steamer,  evidently  on 
her  way  to  Seattle,  and  hoped  she  would  pass 
near  enough  to  us  to  give  us  an  opportunity  of 
sending  mail  back  to  the  anxious  ones  at  home  ; 
but  we  were  disappointed,  for  she  passed  us  at  a 
distance  of  three  miles,  and  was  soon  out  of  sight. 

All  that  day  and  night  we  lay  becalmed.  To 
be  so  near  our  destination,  and  not  to  be  able  to 
make  any  headway,  was  indeed  trying  ;  and  the 
men  becoming  uneasy,  we  decided  to  attempt  to 
tow  the  schooner  into  Port  Valdez  by  hand.  So 
we  lowered  our  two  boats,  and  manned  each  with 
4 


,H 


50 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


%  't 


four  men  ;  then  fastening  long  lines  from  the  boats 
to  the  schooner,  we  beg^n  to  row.  This  was  in- 
deed slow  work,  but  we  were  able  to  make  one 
mile  an  hour.  The  time  given  each  crew  to  row 
was  an  hour,  and  then  a  fresh  crew  would  take 
their  places.  This  was  kept  up  until  .afte»-noon, 
when  we  sighted  a  steamer  headed  for  Port  Val- 
dez.  A  hurried  consultation  was  held  by  the 
company's  directors,  and  we  decided  to  engage 
them,  if  possible,  to  tow  us  into  port.  So  we 
signaled  them,  and  they  came  alongside.  V/e 
offered  them  $50  to  tow  us  in,  but  they  asked 
us  $150.  We  were  not  inclined  to  pay  that  price, 
so  we  let  them  go  on  their  way. 

Just  after  dark  the  wind  cnm  e  up  from  ahead, 
and  the  channel  through  which  we  had  to  pass 
was  narrow  and  rocky.  We  disliked  to  run  back 
over  the  few  miles  we  had  worked  so  hard  all  day 
to  gain,  so  we  hoisted  sail,  ?nd  determined,  if  pos- 
sible, to  work  our  way  up  against  the  wind  ;  but 
l.^d  just  got  under  way  when  a  blinding  snow- 
storm was  upon  us.  All  night  long  we  tacked 
back  and  forth  across  the  narrow  channel,  and  I  * 
considered  it  the  most  dangerous  night  we  had 
passed  in  all  our  rough  experience  of  so  many 
days,  from  the  fact  that  the  channel  was  full  of 
sunken   rocks  which   were   not  marked  upon  the 


Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific        51 


chart.  The  night  was  da.k  and  stormy,  and  nei- 
ther our  captain  nor  any  of  our  crew  had  ever 
been  in  this  port  before. 

Next  morning  we  ran  into  a  little  bay,  and 
dropped  anchor.  The  wind  died  away,  but  the 
snow  continued  to  fall  until  noon,  fully  a  foot 
having  fallen  since  the  night  before.  There 
seemed  to  be  several  arms  to  the  bay,  and  we 
had  no  idea  which  would  lead  us  to  Valdez  ;  so, 
as  soon  as  anchor  was  dropned,  a  boat  was 
manned  and  sent  out  to  investigate.  At  noon 
the  returned  with  the  discouraging  report  that 
they  had  gone  several  miles  up  one  arm  of  the 
bay  —  the  one  we  considered  most  likely  to  be 
the  right  one  —  and  found  ice,  but  no  signs  of 
port. 

Manning  the  boat  with  a  fresh  crew,  they  set 
out  for  another  tour  of  investigation.  During 
their  abse  :e  it  was  suggested  that  we  try  our 
hands  ap  „in  at  another  attempt  for  cod.  The  poor 
success  which  had  crowned  our  previous  efforts 
was  still  fresh  in  the  minds  of  the  men,  and  but 
few  thought  it  worth  while  to  try  ;  but  one  of  the 
company,  who  was  a  persistent  fisherman,  thought 
differently,  and  baiting  his  hook  with  fat  meat, 
threw  it  over  the  side  of  the  boat,  and  almost 
before  the  others  could  think,  had  a  twenty-one- 


'*, 


52 


Go/d  Hunters   in    Alaska 


j>ound  cod  flopping  on  the  deck.  This,  of  course, 
set  the  boys  wild,  and  soon  a  half  dozen  lines  were 
out ;  and  in  a  single  hour  a  half  ton  of  wriggling 
codfish  was  landed  on  the  little  schooner.  Then 
some  of  the  boys,  wishing  to  eat  a  meal  cooked  on 
Alaskan  soil,  took  some  provisions  and  a  fresh  cod 
and  went  ashore,  which  was  but  a  few  hundred 
yards  away.  There  they  made  a  camp  fire  and 
cooked  and  ate  a  supper  which  they  declared  was 
fit  for  a  king. 

Just  before  dark  we  heard  several  shots  in  the 
direction  of  the  camp  fire,  and  looking  through  a 
field  glass  we  saw  one  of  the  boys  emerging  from 
.some  bushes  bearing  a  huge  hedgehog.  It  was 
the  first  game  killed  in  Alaska.  They  had  seen 
his  track  near  their  camp,  and  following  it  a  little 
way,  found  the  fellow  perched  on  a  limb  a  few 
feet  above  their  heads.  Two  of  the  boys  emptied 
their  revolvers  at  him,  but  he  sat  there  winking 
and  blinking  at  them,  asi  if  hi  considered  his 
position  the  sr^fest  one  in  the  held.  The  boys 
becaiie  desperate  at  their  bad  marksmanship,  and 
placing  their  weapons  back  in  their  holsters,  went 
down  to  the  beach,  and  gathered  their  hands  full 
of  stones,  and  with  these  returned  to  the  tree. 
Their  aim  proved  better  with  rocks  than  with 
bullets,  and  soon  Mr.  Hedgehog  was  dropped  from 


Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific        53 


the  tree  and  quickly  dispatched  with  a  club.  The 
victorious  hunters  returned  to  the  schooner  bear- 
ing their  game,  and  seemed  to  feel  as  proud  as  if 
they  had  bagged  a  grizzly  bear. 

It  was  late  at  night  when  the  boa,  returned,  and 
reported  that  they  had  found  Valdez,  and  that  it 
was  seventeen  miles  away.  They  said  that  many 
people  were  there  getting  their  goods  off  the  ice, 
where  they  had  been  unloaded.  We  remained 
where  we  were  until  morning,  when  there  was  a 
slight  breeze ;  and  hoisting  all  sail,  we  moved 
slowl}  ward  our  destination.  About  noon  we 
were  again  becalmed,  and  again  began  towing  the 
schooner  along  oy  hand  as  before.  All  the  after- 
noon we  pulled  hard,  and  when  night  came,  were 
four  miles  from  the  edge  of  the  ce  where  we  were 
to  unload.  We  ran  in  behind  a  small  island,  and 
anchored  for  the  night.  The  weather  looked 
threatening,  and  after  dark  it  began  to  snow.  In 
the  morning  there  were  tm  inches  of  snow  on 
deck,  which  had  fallen  during  the  night.  After 
clearing  the  deck  of  its  snow  covering,  there  being 
no  wind,  we  resumed  our  work  of  towing.  We 
could  see  men  unloading  a  steamer  on  to  the  ice, 
and  hundreds  more  were  hauling  their  jjoods  back 
a  mile  to  Valdez.  At  a  distance  of  four  miles 
they  looked  much  like  a  procession  of  ants,  all  busy 


\ 


54 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


■i 

'■t\ 

>; 

mk 


at  work.  We  could  plainly  hear  the  howling  and 
barking  of  dogs  as  they  were  being  put  to  work 
hauling  the  goods  back  off  the  ice  to  a  place  of 
safety.  . 

It  was  thought  advisable  by  our  company  that 
a  general  superintender'-  should  be  appointed  to 
have  charge  of,  and  give  direction  to,  all  the  work 
when  we  should  land  ;  so  a  meeting  was  called, 
and  Mr.  L.  D.  Hoy,  of  Seattle,  Wash.,  was  elected 
to  that  position. 

About  one  o'clock  we  drew  up  along  the  edge 
of  the  ice  near  where  the  steamers  were  unload- 
ing. Going  back  some  distance  from  the  edge, 
we  cut  a  hole  in  the  ice,  and  hooked  our  anchor 
into  it,  and  our  boat  was  thus  held  firmly  in  place. 
The  ice  was  about  eighteen  inches  thick,  and 
covered  with  ihree  feet  of  snow,  while  away  from 
the  ice  the  snow  measured  eleven  feet  on  the  level. 
When  we  saw  this  condition  of  things,  many  of  us 
said  in  our  own  hearts,  "  The  steam  sled  is  a  fail- 
ure ;"  yel:  we  were  hoping  that  it  might  be  of  some 
service,  after  we  reached  the  solid  ice  of  the  gla- 
ciers. We  must  wait  and  see.  So  we  be^^an  in 
earnest  the   work  of  unloading  the  schooner. 

First  our  sleds  were  taken  off,  fourteen  short 
and  ten  long  ones.  The  short  ones  were  four  feet 
long,  and   intended  for  one  man  each  ;    and  the 


ii 


Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific        55 


long  ones  were  six  feet  long,  and  intended  for  two 
men  to  use.  The  lumber  was  the  first  thing  un- 
loaded from  the  deck,  and  piled  up,  a  little  being 
hauled  off  the  ice.  Next  came  the  famous  steam 
sled.  This  was  so  heavy  that  it  was  no  easy  ta:;k ; 
but  "many  hands  make  light  work"  proved  true 
in  this  case,  and  soon  the  ponderous  thing  was 
resting  some  distance  from  the  schooner,  on  snow 
and  ice. 

About  a  mile  from  where  the  schooner  was 
anchored  was  a  piece  of  timber  containing  two  or 
three  hundred  acres,  and  running  down  through 
this  was  a  clear  stream  of  pure  water,  in  the  edge 
of  this  timber,  and  near  this  little  stream,  were 
about  one  hundred  tents,  clustered  together,  and 
others  were  being  put  up.  This  unique  camp  — 
for  t't  was  about  that — presented  a  scene  of 
unusual  activity.  Some  were  tramping  down  the 
snow,  preparing  a  place  to  set  up  their  tents;  some 
were  cutting  tent  poles,  and  others  cutting  fire- 
wood, while  others  were  getting  their  dog  teams 
ready  for  hauling  their  goods  up  to  the  foot  of  the 
glacier,  which  was  five  miles  away. 

A  few  of  our  company  went  up  and  selected  a 
site  for  our  seven  tents,  tramped  the  snow,  and 
set  a  stake  in  the  center,  on  which  was  written, 
"This   space   taken."      This   would   prevent   any 


!l 


'm 


56 


Go/d  Hunters   in   Alaska 


other  party  from  entering  upon  our  labor,  if  thty 
were  to  come  on  the  ground  before  we  returned. 
Next  morning  we  discovered  that  the  great 
weight  of  the  goods  unloaded  from  the  steamers 
and  from  our  schooner,  with  our  lumber  and  the 
steam  sled,  had  caused  the  ice  to  settle  so  that 
eight  inches  of  water  had  overflowed  the  surface, 
which  caused  us  great  fears  for  the  safety  of  our 
goods,  which  had  been  unloaded.  So  we  decided 
not  to  place  any  more  on  the  ice  until  we  had 
removed  what  was  already  there  to  a  place  of 
safety.  The  day  was  spent  getting  our  lumber  on 
shore,  and  getting  our  steam  sled  farther  from 
Ahe  edge  of  the  ice.  On  the  following  morning 
we  began  the  unloading  of  our  thirty-five  tons  of 
groceries  and  hardware.  The  water  being  so  deep 
over  the  ice,  we  had  to  carry  our  freight  some  dis- 
tance back  before  it  could  be  loaded  on  the  sleds. 
This  made  our  work  not  only  slow,  but  much  more 
laborious.  It  took  us  three  days,  toiling  late  and 
early,  to  get  our  goods  to  a  place  of  safety  in  case 
the  ice  should  break  up,  as  there  were  signs  of  its 
soon  doing. 

During  the  second  day  we  saw  that  we  must  get 
our  steam  sled  off  the  ice,  or  risk  its  going  to  the 
bottom  ;  so  attaching  strong  lines  to  it,  the  whole 
company  drew  it  to  a  place  of  safety  on  shore. 


'M 


Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific        57 


Toward  noon,  the  third  day,  the  ice  had  become 
so  rotten  that  large  cakes  became  detached,  and 
would  settle  under  us  into  the  water  as  we  passed 
over  them  with  our  goods.  The  last  half  day  of 
this  work  was  attended  with  great  danger,  for  had 
any  of  us  broken  through  with  our  loads,  drowning 
would  have  been  the  almost  certain  result.  I  re- 
member well  one  time,  while  drawing  my  load, 
that  I  stepped  on  a  large  cake,  which  broke  into 
several  smaller  ones  with  my  weight,  none  of 
which  were  large  enough  to  support  me,  and  leav- 
ing my  load,  I  sprang  lightly  from  ca^i:  to  cake 
until  I  had  reached  firm  ice  ;  then,  getting  the 
assistance  of  some  of  my  companions,  we  carried 
lumber  an  '  bridged  the  spot  sufficiently  to  bring 
over  the  balance  of  our  goods.  We  were  all  glad 
when  the  last  of  it  was  got  off,  for  there  was 
scarcely  a  man  but  could  relate  some  thrilling 
adventure  during  his  work  over  the  rotten  ice. 
No  accident  happened,  however,  for  which  we 
were  really  grateful. 

After  the  work  of  the  day  was  over,  many  of  the 
men  sat  up  far  into  the  night,  writing  to  the  loved 
ones  at  home  ;  for  the  steamer  was  to  start  on  her 
return  to  Seattle  next  day. 

Several  of  the  passengers  who  came"  on  this 
boat,  when  they  saw  how  deep  the  snow  was,  and 


.,;m 


68 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


what  difficulties  lay  in  the  way  of  getting  our 
goods  over  the  glaciers,  became  discouraged,  and 
returned  with  the  same  boat.  Their  golden  dreams 
of  finding  a  fortune  in  Alaska  had  been  rudely 
dashed  to  atoms  in  those  few  days  of  rugged 
experience  in  barely  getting  on  shore,  and  they 
were  returning,  discouraged  and  disheartened. 

Since  we  anchored  our  boat  to  the  ice,  the 
weather  had  been  unusually  fine.  The  sun  had 
shone  brightly  every  day  ;  but  as  we  took  our  last 
load  from  the  boat,  clouds  began  to  gather,  and  the 
barometer  gave  promise  that  a  storm  was  brewing 
The  captain  informed  us  that  the  safety  of  the. 
schooner  might  depend  on  getting  her  away  from 
her  present  situation  before  the  storm  broke,  for 
the  ice  would  be  broken  up,  and  she  might  be 
drifted  into  and  crushed  by  the  grinding  mass. 
So  a  few  hurried  preparations  were  made,  and  we 
bade  adieu  to  the  schooner  "Moonlight."  Just 
before  dark  she  weighed  anchor,  and  as  there  was 
a  good  breeze  blowing  down  the  bay,  all  sails  were 
hoisted,  and  in  a  few  hours  she  must  have  been  far 
out  on  Prince  William  Sound.  Upon  her  return 
trip  she  encountered  several  severe  gales,  one  of 
which  carried  away  part  of  her  sails,  and  otherwise 
damaged  her,  but  she  made  the  trip  back  to  Seat- 
tle in  the  unprecedented  time  of  nine  days. 


Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific 


59 


During  the  night  upon  which  she  sailed  away,  a 
storm  came  on,  and  in  the  morning  the  great  field 
of  ice  over  which  we  had  carried  and  drawn  our 
goods,  had  broken  loose  from  shore,  and  was  ten 
miles  down  the  bay. 

About  this  time  the  steamer  "  Valencia"  came 
into  the  bay,  with  six  hundred  passengers  for 
Valdez.  The  captain  had  left  the  lighter  or  small 
boat,  at  Orca,  thinking  they  could  run  up  to  the 
ice  and  unload  as  we  had  done  ;  but  when  they 
discovered  that  the  ice  had  gone  out,  and  that 
there  was  no  way  to  unload  their  large  amount  of 
freight,  they  decided  to  land  passengers  and  goods 
at  Swansport,  which  was  four  miles  down  the  bay. 
This  the  passengers  would  not  agree  to,  although 
the  captain  gave  orders  to  commence  the  unload- 
ing of  freight ;  but  when  the  ship's  crew  went  to 
lift  the  hatchways,  they  found  a  body  of  armed 
men  guarding  them.  This  caused  a  parley,  which 
lasted  several  days  ;  but  the  men  were  firm,  and 
the  outcome  of  it  was  that  the  captain  sent  for  his 
flatboat,  and  passengers  and  freight  were  landed 
at  Valdez,  as  they  desired.  This  made  about 
fourteen  hundred  men  that  had  landed  at  this  port 
within  the  past  few  weeks,  and  other  boats  were 
daily  expected  with   hundreds  more. 

Our  tents  were  up,  and  we  had  begun  camp  life 


60 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


"1 


in  earnest.  We  were  better  provided  for  than 
many  of  our  fellows,  for  we  had  lumber  to  floor 
one  half  of  each  tent,  so  that  we  were  not  obliged 
to  spread  our  sleeping  bags  on  the  cold  snow  at 
night,  as  most  of  them  must.  The  glacier  seemed 
but  a  short  distance  away,  but  we  were  told  that  it 
was  five  miles.  This  seemed  to  us  impossible,  but 
when  we  loaded  up  our  sleds,  and  joined  the  pro- 
cession which  was  on  its  way  thither,  we  soon 
'ound  that  the  distance  had  not  been  exaggerated. 

Two  trips  a  day  to  the  foot  of  the  glacier  and 
return  was  a  hard  day's  work,  but  it  was  done  by 
many  of  the  men  ;  others,  who  were  not  disposed, 
or  were  not  able,  making  but  one  trip  daily. 

Situated  about  two  miles  from  our  camp,  in 
another  piece  of  timber,  and  about  the  same  dis- 
tance from  the  glacier,  were  a  few  rude  log  cabins 
and  several  tents,  the  former  having  been  built 
several  years.  One  man  had  lived  here  nine  years. 
This  was  Valdez  proper,  and  the  old  Indian  trad- 
ing post.  Years  ago  many  Indians  came  over  the 
glacier  during  the  latter  part  of  winter,  bringing 
sled-loads  of  valuable  furs  and  articles  of  their 
own  manufacture,  and  traded  them  for  beads,  brass 
trinkets,  gaudy-colored  clothing,  provision,  and 
such  other  articles  as  seemed  to  strike  their  fancy. 
It  was  on  one  of  these  trading  excursions  that  one 


Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific        61 

of  their  women  had  her  feet  so  badly  frozen  that, 
when  they  returned,  she  was  unable  to  walk.  So 
she  was  abandoned,  and  left  to  freeze  or  starve,  as 
the  case  might  be  ;  but  her  situation  was  discov- 
ered by  a  white  man,  who  took  pity  on  her,  and 
took  care  of  her.  She  soon  recovered,  and  they 
have  since  been  living  together.  This  man  moved 
soon  after  to  an  island  in  Prince  William  Sound, 
where  he  became  engaged  in  raising  blue  foxes  ; 
and  by  the  disposition  of  his  valuable  furs  has 
been  making  a  good  living.  The  island  is  now 
known  as  Fox  Island.  A  few  weeks  after  our 
arrival  at  Port  Valdez,  this  same  Indian  woman 
gave  us  some  valuable  information,  of  which  I  will 
speak  later  on. 

A  few  years  ago  a  trading  post  was  opened  up 
at  Cook's  Inlet,  and  to  this  place  the  Indians  could 
come  to  do  their  trading  without  crossing  the  gla- 
cier. As  a  result,  but  few  Indians  now  come  to 
Valdez,  and  the  trading  post  here,  which  a  few 
years  ago  was  in  such  a  flourishing  condition,  is 
now  a  thing  of  the  past.  When  the  great  Alaskan 
gold  excitement  sent  thousands  to  land  at  Valdez, 
the  old  site  of  the  town  did  not  seem  to  them  to 
be  the  proper  place  for  a  town,  so  a  new  site  was 
selected,  which  was  near  deep  water,  and  seemed 
to  be  a  more  suitable  place  for  a  thriving  village. 


«2 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


ft, 


Upon  this  new  plot  streets  were  laid  out,  and  dur- 
ing the  summer  many  log  and  some  frame  btnld- 
ings  were  erected,  so  that  in  the  fall  of  1898  Port 
Valdez  was  a  village  of  three  hundred  people. 
The  first  boat-load  of  gold  seekers  that  landed  at 
Valdez  took  up  their  quarters  at  the  old  town  site, 
among  whom  was  a  party  of  four  men,  who 
camped,  or  tented,  together,  and  were  doubtless  in 
some  sort  of  partnership.  They  failed  to  rejree, 
for  some  reason,  and  almost  every  day  found  them 
in  difficulty.  One  day,  in  a  fit  of  anger,  one  of  the 
party.  Doc.  Tanner  by  name,  rushed  to  the  tent  in 
which  his  three  companions  were,  and  drawing  his 
revolvers  shot  two  of  them  dead,  the  other  escap- 
ing at  the  rear  of  the  tent.  Of  course  this  was 
more  than  the  law-abiding  people  could  stand,  and 
the  murderer  was  soon  placed  under  arrest ;  a 
judge  and  jury  were  selected,  and  the  culprit  was 
brought  forth  to  trial. 

The  case  was  such  a  plain  one  that  the  trial  was 
short,  and  he  was  soon  found  guilty  of  murder  in 
the  first  degree,  and  sentenced  to  be  hanged  im- 
mediately. They  did  not  stop  to  erect  a  scaffold, 
for  a  limb  of  a  tree  would  serve  the  purpose  ;  so  he 
was  taken  out  to  a  large  tree,  and  a  rope  placed 
around  his  neck.  All  this  time  he  seemed  the 
least  excited  of  any   man    in    the  company,   and 


Setting  Sail  on  the  Great  Pacific 


63 


talked  about  the  horrible  crime  as  if  it  were  a 
matter  of  no  importance,  and  jokingly  disputed 
with  the  men  as  to  which  limb  of  the  tree  he  was 
to  hang  from.  The  limb  being  selected,  the  rope 
was  thrown  over  it,  and  he  was  quickly  drawn  up, 
and  thus  paid  the  penalty  of  his  bloody  deed. 
Now  the  old  town  of  Valdez  bears  the  name  of 
"  Hang-town." 

This  event  caused  the  people  to  believe  that 
crimes  of  greater  or  less  magnitude  would  be  com- 
mitted from  time  to  time,  with  such  a  conglomer- 
ation of  citizenship  during  the  year,  that  it  should 
be  impressed  upon  the  minds  of  all  who  landed  at 
this  port  that  no  crime,  however  small,  should  go 
unpunished.  So  a  meeting  of  the  miners  was 
called,  and  a  Law  and  Order  Committee  was 
selected,  whose  duty  it  should  be  to  make  the  la^k^s, 
and  affix  the  penalties  thereto.  As  there  were 
large  quantities  of  goods  of  all  descriptions  piled 
up  along  the  trail,  it  was  only  natural  to  expect 
that  stealing  would  be  most  prominent  among  the 
cases  to  be  dealt  with  in  the  history  of  crime 
along  the  trail ;  so  particular  stress  was  placed 
upon  this  crime,  and  severe  penalties  attached.  It 
was  to  the  effect  that  if  a  man  stole  ten  dollars  or 
less,  his  crime  was  petty  larceny,  and  the  penalty 
for  which  was  to  have  his  goods  confiscated,  and 


64 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


w. 


lie  was  to  be  driven  from  the  country  ;  but  if  his 
theft  was  ten  dollars  or  more,  it  was  grand  larceny, 
the  penalty  for  which  was  hanging. 

This  punishment  may  seem  to.  many  as  too 
severe,  but  when  it  is  remembered  that  one's  pro- 
vision was  his  life  in  a  country  like  this,  it  was 
regarded  that  a  person  who  stole  that  was  as  truly 
taking  life  as  if  he  went  to  the  tent  and  killed  the 
owner  outright. 

Whether  the  making  of  this  law  was  really 
necessary  or  not,  I  can  not  say,  but  I  do  know  of 
no  single  instance  in  which  it  had  to  be  enforced  ; 
and  I  never  knew  a  place  in  any  civilization  where 
the  principles  of  honesty  were  so  thoroughly  car- 
ried out  as  upon  the  Valdez  and  Copper  River 
trail.  Goods  could  be  left  upon  any  part  of  the 
trail  for  an  indefinite  time  without  their  being 
molested. 

If  a  man  found  anything  on  the  trail  which  had 
been  lost  by  another,  he  would  place  it  upon  a 
stick,  stuck  up  in  the  snow,  beside  the  trail ;  or  if 
a  man  found  among  his  goods  a  sack  or  box  which 
belonged  to  another,  he  would  put  up  notices  in 
two  or  three  conspicuous  places,  to  the  effect  that 
a  box  or  sack  bearing  such  a  mark  had  been 
found  among  his  stuff,  and  invite  the  owner  to 
call  and  get  his  property.    . 


\ 


CHAPTER    IV 


STARTING  OVER  THE   GLACIER 


We  had  been  landed  at  Valdez  about  a  week. 
Our  goods  had  been  brought  from  the  shore,  and 
placed  in  a  cache  near  our  camp,  and  from  there 
we  hurried  them  along  as  fast  as  possible  to  the 
foot  of  the  glacier.  We  had  brought  along  a 
good  supply  of  goods  to  be  disposed  of  at  as  good 
advantage  as  possible  after  our  arrival  at  Valdez. 
These  goods  must  remain  more  or  less  exposed  to 
the  elements  until  we  could  get  a  place  prepared 
for  them,  so  a  large  body  of  men  were  set  to  work 
to  build  a  store.  To  prepare  the  foundation  fcv 
this  building  was  no  easy  task,  as  there  were  ten 
feet  of  snow  to  be  removed  to  get  at  the  ground, 
and  much  of  this  had  to  be  drawn  away  on  our 
hand-sleds  to  get  it  out  of  the  way.  The  sills  and 
sleepers  had  to  be  hewn  out  from  standing  timber, 
and  carried  by  hand  to  the  building  spot,  where 
they  were  placed  upon  temporary  abutments  of 
wood,  which  was  to  do  till  summer  made  it  possi- 
ble to  replace  them  with  something  more  endur- 
ing. About  fifteen  men  were  kept  at  this  building, 
5  65 


(,  f 


m 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


■    "f'. 


and  in  a  few  days  our  store  wa3  completed,  and 
the  goods  which  we  had  intended  for  immediate 
disposal  placed  within. 

About  this  time  one  of  our  men,  Mr.  James 
Hall,  of  Stamford,  Conn.,  became  convinced  that 
he  could  not  stand  the  work  and  hardships  which 
must  necessarily  be  encountered  during  our  stay 
in  Alaska,  and  he  decided  to  return  to  the  States. 
It  was  not  long  before  he  had  an  opportunity,  and 
bidding  the  company  good-by,  he  set  out  for 
home  and  friends. 

Many  of  the  men  who  preceded  us  had  begun 
the  ascent  of  the  glacier,  and  there  came  a  great 
demand  for  "  ice-creepers."  We  had  taken  along 
a  blacksmith's  forge  and  tools,  and  a  large  quan- 
tity of  sheet  steel,  and  having  two  blacksmiths  in 
our  company,  we  set  ore  to  making  "creepers." 
These  found  a  ready  sale  at  S3. 50  per  pair,  and  he 
could  easily  turn  out  twelve  pairs  a  day.  Thus 
we  were  able  to  reap  a  large  revenue  off  the  labors 
of  one  man.  There  was  a  large  demand  for  provi- 
sions, also,  and  all  kinds  of  goods  used  in  camp 
life.  Bacon  brought  25  cts.  per  pound  ;  pork,  20 
cts.  ;  flour,  $10  per  hundred;  beans,  the  same; 
and  every  other  kind  of  provisions  brought  from 
two  to  four  times  its  cost.  The  seventy-five  mat- 
tres.ses  with  which  we  had  furnished  our  schooner 


I 


I' 


: 


Starting  over  the  Glacier 


67 


I 


before  leaving  Seattle,  at  a  cost  to  us  of  75  cts. 
each,  were  taken  off  at  Valdez,  and  quickly  sold 
at  $3.50  each.  There  was  also  a  great  demand 
for  tents  and  tarpaulin,  but  unfortunately  we  had 
but  a  small  amount  of  these  for  sale.  A  tent 
costing  $7  would  sell  quickly  for  $25.  The  lum- 
ber used  in  building  the  store  could  have  been 
sold  for  a  profit  to  us  of  $70  per  thousand.  Goods 
sold  so  rapidly  that  it  was  thought  best  to  send  a 
man  immediately  to  Seattle  to  purchase  a  new 
supply  for  our  store,  so  Mr.  John  Potts  was  sent 
back  to  purchase  a  stock  of  goods,  and  hurry  them 
on  with  all  possible  dispatch. 

On  the  18th  of  March  we  moved  three  of  our 
tents  to  the  foot  of  the  glacier.  At  this  time  there 
were  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  tents 
located  there,  and  every  day  some  men  who  had 
gotten  their  goods  a  mile  or  so  up  the  ascent,  were 
moving  out  and  going  on  up  farther  for  a  new 
camping  place  ;  but  scarcely  would  they  vacate 
their  old  camping  ground  before  some  one  who 
was  not  fortunate  enough  to  have  gotten  his  goods 
as  far  along  as  his  neighbor,  would  drop  on  the 
place  he  had  vacated,  and  set  up  his  tent.  This 
would  save  the  new  comer  the  labor  of  leveling  off 
and  packing  the  snow  on  his  so-called  village  lot. 
Besides,  he  would  often   be  able  to  get  a  location 


68 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


i  •■ 


K' 


in  the  heart  of  the  city,  when  otherwise  he  might 
have  to  go  far  down  the  trail  ;  for  in  this  village  of 
tents  there  was  but  one  street.  In  order  to  hold 
a  lot  it  was  only  necessary  to  set  a  small  stake,  on 
which  was  written  the  word  "  Taken,"  and  no  one 
would  attempt  to  occupy  it  as  long  as  the  stake 
remained. 

When  our  three  tents  moved  to  the  foot  of  the 
glacier,  our  company  was  thus  divided  ;  and  our 
superintendent  being  kept  busy  at  Valdez,  I  was 
appointed  an  assistant,  having  charge  of  the  thres 
camps  of  fifteen  men.  The  wind  blew  so  hard 
nearly  every  day  that  we  were  greatly  hindered 
in  our  work.  The  snow  was  constantly  drifting 
into  the  trail  so  that  we  were  compelled  to  load 
light,  and  many  days  could  make  but  one  trip  a 
day,  when  with  a  good  trail  we  could  as  easily  have 
made  two.  AH  the  wood  which  we  must  provide 
for  our  long  trip  over  this  mountain  of  ice  grew 
from  four  to  six  miles  from  its  base.  There  was  a 
vast  quantity  of  dry  timber  in  these  woods,  but  it 
was  fast  being  taken,  and  we  thought  it  wise  to 
devote  a  few  days  to  supplying  ourselves  with 
wood  for  our  cold  journey  ;  so,  going  to  the 
woods,  we  spent  several  days  felling  trees,  cutting 
them  into  six  and  eight  feet  lengths,  and  hauled 
them  on  our  hand-sleds  to  the  base  of  the  glacier, 


^ic^.:^ 


33 
W 


CD 

m 

z 
o 

I 


< 
> 
r- 
o 
m 

M 

CD 

> 
O 

m 
J) 


I 


I  i 

I! 

si   \ 


i  I 
li  1 


Starting  over  the  Glacier 


69 


where  they  were  piled  up  for  future  transportation 
up  the  mountain  of  ice. 

One  morning  as  we  were  on  our  way  up  the 
trail  with  our  loads  of  wood,  we  saw  several  men 
examining  something,  and  on  coming  up  to  them, 
saw  that  it  was  the  track  of  some  large  animal. 
It  had  come  to  a  cache  of  goods  and  carried  away 
several  sides  of  bacon.  This  was  more  than  the 
owner  could  stand,  so  getting  a  few  men  to  ac- 
company him,  they  put  on  snowshoes,  armed  them- 
selves with  Winchesters,  and  started  in  pursuit  of 
the  thief  They  followed  his  trail  several  miles, 
and  came  up  to  him  in  a  small  piece  of  timber, 
where  a  well-directed  shot  laid  him  dead.  It 
proved  to  be  an  enormous  black  lynx,  the  fur  of 
which  was  very  valuable  ;  so  the  man  considered 
himself  well  paid  for  his  stolen  bacon.  Not  every 
thief  pays  for  his  thieving  with  his  own  hide  ;  if  he 
did,  goods  would  not  often  change  hands  that 
way. 

About  one  fourth  of  a  mile  from  our  camp  was  a 
spring  of  clear,  sparkling  water  which  came  bub- 
bling out  from  under  an  immense  rock.  From 
this  spring  we  carried  all  the  water  used  while 
camping  at  the  foot  of  the  glacier.  The  trail  lead- 
ing to  this  was  in  many  places  steep.  One  day  as 
one  of  our  company,  Mr.  Lindsey  Stead,  of  Sound 


70 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


Beach,  Conn.,  was  bringing  a  pail  of  water,  he 
slipped  and  fell,  breaking  his  kneecap.  Our  physi- 
cian, Dr.  Kortright,  was  at  Valdez,  five  miles  away, 
so  we  summoned  another  physician,  who  reduced 
the  fracture,  and  the  patient  was  made  as  comfort- 
able as  possible.  He  was  then  placed  on  a  hand 
sled,  and  taken  to  Valdez,  where  comfortable 
quarters  were  arranged  for  him  at  the  store,  and  he 
could  receive  constant  attention  from  our  own 
doctor.  This  was  a  serious  blow  to  him,  for  he  had 
been  among  the  most  ambitious  to  get  into  the  in- 
terior of  Alaska.  It  was  thought  that  in  two  or 
three  months  he  might  be  able  to  join  us,  but  at 
the  expiration  of  eight  months  he  was  still  at  the 
store,  and  very  lame,  though  able  to  be  about. 

The  first  funeral  after  we  reached  Alaska  occurred 
shortly  after  we  reached  the  foot  of  the  glacier. 
It  was  that  of  a  man  who  had  drawn  his  goods 
about  two  miles  up  the  mountain  of  ice.  He  had 
undertaken  to  draw  too  heavy  a  load,  and  had 
ruptured  a  blood  vessel,  dying  in  a  very  short 
time.  He  belonged  to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and 
the  Masons  took  charge  of  the  funeral.  He  was 
v/rapped  in  his  blankets,  and  placed  on  a  hand  sled, 
which  WL  s  drawn  by  six  Masons,  four  others  walk- 
ing behind,  holding  to  a  line  attached  to  the  sled 
to  hold  it   back  as   they    descended   the   glacier. 


'i* 


\ 


Starting  over  the  Glacier 


71 


Next  came  about  sixty  Masons  in  line,  and  then 
several  hundred  miners,  who,  to  show  their  respect 
for  their  dead  companion,  had  quit  work  to  attend 
the  funeral.  His  last  resting  place  was  near  the 
foot  of  the  glacier  by  a  little  cluster  of  bushes 
growing  close  to  the  base  of  the  mountain  which 
towers  thousands  of  feet  above  it. 

Shortly  after  this  another  accident  occurred 
which  cast  a  gloom  over  the  entire  camp.  There 
was  a  party  from  Wisconsin  camping  near  us. 
Among  them  was  a  bright  young  man  who,  a  few 
weeks  before,  had  left  his  home,  gaining  from  his 
parents  only  a  very  reluctant  consent  to  his  com- 
ing. This  company  used  two  tents,  one  for  cook- 
ing and  eating  purposes,  and  the  other  for  a  sleep- 
ing apartment.  There  came  a  day  when  the  wind 
blew  too  hard  to  work  on  the  trail,  and  these  men 
concluded  to  take  this  time  to  clean  and  oil  their 
guns,  which  were  packed  in  a  box  in  their  sleep- 
ing tent.  They  all  sat  in  their  cooking  tent,  as 
was  their  custom,  when  this  young  man  re- 
quested a  boy  about  sixteen  years  old,  belonging 
to  the  company,  to  go  and  bring  his  gun.  No  one 
seemed  to  know  that  the  gun  was  loaded,  but  soon 
a  report  was  heard,  and  the  young  man  leaned 
over  against  his  companion,  as  they  sat  together, 
and   said,  "  I  am  shot."     The  bullet  had    passed 


72 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


through  the  tents,  and  through  his  body.  The 
wound  was  at  once  pronounced  fatal,  and  though 
everything  possible  was  done  for  him,  he  lingered 
two  days  and  died.  Next  day  a  grave  was  dug  in 
the  frozen  ground  beside  that  of  the  man  whose 
funeral  has  already  been  described,  and  a  large 
company  of  miners  followed  him  to  his  lonely 
resting  place. 

Before  giving  an  account  of  our  ascent  of  the 
glacier,  it  may  be  well  to  attempt  a  brief  descrip- 
tion of  this  great  mountain  of  ice,  about  which  so 
much  has  been  written,  and  upon  which  we  toiled 
so  hard  for  sixty  days,  getting  our  goods  over. 
The  glacier  is  a  large  body  of  ice,  lying  between 
two  mountains,  which  rise  above  it  on  either  side 
from  three  to  five  thousand  feet.  Its  length  is 
thirty  miles,  and  it  has  an  average  width  of  three 
miles.  It  is  twenty  miles  to  the  summit,  and  it 
has  an  elevation  in  this  distance  of  five  thousand 
feet.  And  down  the  opposite  side  to  the  valley 
beyond  it  has  an  average  descent  of  three  hundred 
,and  twenty-five  feet  to  the  mile.  Upon  the  summit 
of  this  ice  mountain,  from  early  fall  until  late  in  the 
spring,  fierce  snowstorms  rage  almost  every  day, 
so  that  during  the  winter  the  snow  accumulates  to 
a  great  depth.  During  the  summer  the  snow  melts 
from  the  ice,  and  leaves  the  whole  surface  of  the 


I 


Starting  over  the  Glacier 


73 


glacier  one  mass  of  yawning  crevices,  many  of 
them  hundreds  of  feet  deep,  which  make  its  pas- 
sage impossible  in  the  latter  part  of  summer  and 
early  winter,  and  extremely  difficult  and  danger- 
ous at  any  time  but  the  latter  part  of  winter,  when 
they  become  so  filled  with  snow  that  there  is  little 
danger  in  passing  over  them.  In  making  the 
ascent  there  is  a  series  of  five  benches  to  go  over, 
the  last  of  which      called  the  summit. 

Our  camp  was  at  the  foot  of  the  first  bench, 
which  is  about  sixty  yards  in  length,  and  so  steep 
that  it  was  necessary  to  cut  steps  in  the  ice  to  get 
up.  At  the  top  we  drilled  a  hole  in  the  ice,  into 
which  was  set  a  post,  attaching  to  it  a  pulley, 
through  which  we  passed  the  end  of  a  rope.  Then 
attaching  each  end  of  the  rope  to  a  sled,  about  ten 
men  would  climb  to  the  top,  get  hold  of  the  rope 
and  empty  sled  there,  and  come  down  the  incline, 
drawing  the  loaded  sled  up,  carrying  from  six  to 
eight  hundred  pounds  of  goods  at  a  load.  Other 
companies  were  doing  this  also,  and  often  several 
lines  were  being  worked  on  the  same  bench  at 
once.  We  would  frequently  have  to  wait  several 
minutes  for  others  to  get  out  of  our  way,  and  they 
as  often  waited  for  us  ;  but  I  do  not  recall  a  single 
instance  in  which  any  hard  feelings  or  angry 
words  were  indulged  by  any  of  the  various  com- 


74 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


l!  \ 


panies  who  worked  upon  these  benches.  I  con- 
sider this  a  remarkable  thing,  when  men  were 
working  so  hard  as  almost  naturally  to  become 
irritable  when  very  tired  ;  and  if  anybody  doubts 
that  they  were  very  tired,  he  would  soon  be  con- 
vinced by  a  day  or  two  of  actual  trial  of  it.  Many 
hundreds  were  passing  and  repassing  upon  this 
narrow  trail,  and  necessarily  were  often  much  in 
one  another's  way.  And  each  one  seemed  ever 
ready  to  lend  his  neighbor  any  assistance  needed, 
when  it  was  possible  for  him  to  do  so.  Quite 
often  some  man's  sled  would  slide  out  of  the  trail, 
and  tip  over  with  its  load  in  the  snow,  but  the 
first  men  passing  him  would  get  out  of  their  har- 
nesses, help  him  back  into  the  track,  and  assist  him 
to  reload.  This  same  spirit  seemed  to  be  mani- 
fested during  our  entire  trip  over  the  glacier. 

About  the  time  we  were  getting  our  goods  up 
the  first  bench,  a  large  steamer  came  into  the  bay, 
and  landed  at  Valdez  over  six  hundred  Swedes. 
These  men  began  to  work  night  and  day,  and 
they  soon  had  their  complete  outfit  at  the  foot  of 
the  first  bench.  There  were  so  many  of  them  that 
they  were  in  one  another's  way,  and  during  the 
next  week  the  ropes  on  the  first  ascent,  or  first 
bench,  were  kept  busy  day  and  night.  My  tent 
was  exactly  in  front  of  the  trail  leading  up  to  the 


>'■ 


, 


Starting  over  the  Glacier 


75 


steep  wall  of  ice,  and  not  more  than  fifty  feet  from 
its  base.  During  their  first  day's  work  at  this 
place  there  was  considerable  excitement  caused 
by  a  loaded  sled  breaking  away  when  near  the  top, 
and  coming  down  at  lightning  speed,  ran  over  two 
or  three  men,  quite  seriously  injured  one  of  them, 
and  crushing  through  one  corner  of  my  tent,  where 
only  a  few  moments  before  some  of  our  men  had 
lain  asleep.  We  ran  out  and  cautioned  the  men 
against  such  carelessness,  and  going  in,  sat  down 
to  breakfast  ;  but  before  the  meal  was  finished  we 
were  again  startled  by  the  cry,  "  Look  out  for  a 
runaway  sled  !  "  and  running  outside,  were  just  in 
time  to  see  it  upset  and  spill  its  contents  in  the 
snow  just  above  us.  This  brought  a  sharp  reproof 
from  our  boys,  with  another  promise  on  their  part 
to  be  more  careful  in  the  future. 

These  people  were  ignorant  in  the  use  of  a  rope, 
few  of  them  understanding  how  to  tie  a  safe  knot, 
and  we  never  rested  easy  while  camping  below 
them.  Several  times  in  the  night  we  were  awa- 
kened by  shouts,  which  we  knew  meant  a  runaway 
sled,  and  we  would  raise  up  in  our  sleeping-bags 
and  almost  hold  our  breath  as  we  would  hear 
the  downward  rush  of  the  sled,  expecting  every 
moment  that  it  would  come  crashing  through  our 
tent,  until  we  could  hear  the  splurge  of  the  scat- 


< 


76 


Go/d  Hunters   in    Alaska 


m 


k, 


I't 


f  k ' 


taring  goods  as  they  went  hither  and  thither  over 
the  snow  ;  then  we  knew  our  peril  was  over  for 
that  time,  and  would  cuddle  down  to  resume  our 
sleep.  But  we  could  never  sleep  quite  easy  as 
long  as  these  people  worked  nights. 

From  the  top  of  the  first  bench  to  the  foot  of 
the  second  was  a  half-mile,  and  the  ascent  here 
was  so  great  that  one  hundred  pounds  made  a  fuH 
load.  The  second  and  third  benches  were  so  close 
together  that  they  might  almost  be  called  one,  and 
they  together  measured  one  thousand  five  hun- 
dred feet  at  an  incline  of  forty-five  degrees.  It 
was  over  this  that  the  trail  ran  on  which  we  were 
to  haul  our  goods,  and  here  again  the  rope  and 
pulley  were  put  to  service.  We  stretched  about 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and  after  getting  our 
stuff  all  up  the  second  bench,  the  rope  was  carried 
ahead,  and  the  next  pull  brought  them  upon  the  top 
of  the  third  bench.  Following  the  goods  came  our 
wood,  which  was  drawn  up  in  the  same  manner. 

About  this  time  four  of  our  company's  men, 
Joseph  Lawson,  J.  B.  Allen,  Adolph  Oberfeld,  and 
Valentine  Frickel,  became  desirous  of  severing 
their  connection  with  the  company,  to  pursue  their 
search  for  gold  by  themselves  ;  so  a  satisfactory 
adjustment  was  affected  with  them,  and  they  with- 
drew.    But  they  continued  the  ascent  of  the  gla- 


Starting  over  the  Glacier 


77 


4 


cier  ^  Mth  us  until  the  summit  was  reached,  when 
Frickel  and  Oberfeld  abandoned  the  scheme,  and 
returned  to  the  S'-ates.  Allen  and  Lawson  pushed 
on  into  the  interior,  and  passed  the  summer  upon 
the  Klutina  and  Copper  Rivers. 

While  working  upon  the  third  bench  of  the  gla- 
cier, the  view  down  the  valley  was  unobstructed. 
Valdez  was  in  plain  sight,  and  the  trail  leading  to 
the  glacier  was  marked  by  a  long  line  of  dark 
moving  objects  which  were  mere  specks  in  the  dis- 
tance. They  were  men,  pulling  their  goods  up 
the  trail  on  sleds  as  we  had  done.  Every  steamer 
or  schooner  which  came  into  the  bay  could  be 
plainly  seen,  and  almost  every  day  brought  a  new 
addition  to  the  already  large  crowd  of  gold-seek- 
ers. We  could  n't  help  thinking  that  if  all  of  us 
were  to  strike  luck,  then  indeed  must  Alaska  be 
full  of  the  shining  metal. 

We  let  our  camps  remain  at  the  base  of  the  first 
bench  as  long  as  possible,  so  that  we  might  save 
the  wood  which  had  been  already  drawn  up  for 
future  use  farther  on  ;  but  the  time  came  when  it 
was  too  much  of  a  task  to  walk  so  far  to  our  work 
and  back,  so  we  moved  them  a  mile  above  the  top 
of  the  third  bench.  From  the  top  of  this  bench  to 
the  foot  of  the  fourth  was  twelve  miles.  All  this 
distance   the   ascent    was    gradual,   the    elevation 


li 


78 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


I  - 


i:llt 


ill 


.,1't 


being  not  more  than  one  hundred  feet  to  the  mile. 
We  could  take  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  to  a 
sled,  and  if  the  weather  was  good,  could  make  a 
round  trip  a  day  ;  but  if  the  weather  was  threaten- 
ing, we  would  unload  at  what  was  known  as  five- 
mile  camp,  which  was  less  than  half  way. 

Many  men  had  dogs,  which  were  of  great  assiiii - 
ance  to  them.  A  large  dog  would  haul  as  much 
as  a  man,  and  often  we  would  see  a  load  of  five 
hundred  pounds  drawn  by  three  or  four  dogs. 
Frequently  we  would  see  a  man  and  his  dog 
hitched  in  the  harness  together,  the  dog  walking 
along  beside  his  master,  and,  where  the  road  was 
good,  pulling  the  entire  load. 

Many  of  these  dogs  were  but  half  fed.  and  when 
they  became  weakened  by  overwork,  some  of 
their  masters  would  beat  them  in  a  most  brutal 
manner,  and  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  a 
dog  drop  dead  in  harness  beside  the  trail.  A  few 
men  were  so  cruel  to  their  dogs,  and  beat  them  so 
much,  that  a  committee  was  sent  to  wait  upon 
them  ;  and  they  were  ordered  to  stop  beating 
them,  or  they  would  be  dealt  with  by  the  indig- 
nant miners.  This  seemed  to  have  the  desired 
effect,  for  from  this  time  on  the  poor  dogs  fared 
better. 

It  was  no  uncommon  sight  to  see  a  horse  plod- 


ii 


o 

z 


I 
m 

Q 

r- 
> 

n 
m 

30 


,li' 


If^ 


Starting  over  the  Glacier. 


79 


ding  along  up  this  trail  of  twelve  miles,  hauling 
ten  or  twelve  hundred  pounds  to  a  load.  We  were 
seized  with  a  desire  to  possess  one  ourselves,  but 
they  were  scarce  and  in  great  demand,  and  the 
price  asked  for  the  few  which  were  for  sale  at  all 
was  enormous.  One  day  a  man  came  down  the 
glacier  who  was  the  proud  possessor  of  three.  He 
had  got  his  goods  on  the  summit,  and  would  there- 
fore sell  one.  The  animal  was  gaunt  and  thin  in 
flesh,  and  looked  as  though  his  friends  had  long 
forsaken  him.  But  the  price  asked  for  him  was 
$300.  We  held  a  consultation  and  decided  to  buy 
him.  We  had  a  new  demand  on  us  at  once — 
something  to  feed  our  animal ;  so  a  delegation  was 
hurried  off  to  Valdez  for  hay.  A  few  bales  were 
secured,  costing  at  the  rate  of  $10»)  per  ton.  The 
trail  from  Valdez  to  the  foot  of  the  glacier  had 
become  so  soft  that  the  horse  could  not  be  used 
upon  it,  so  the  kay  was  drawn  by  hand  to  a  place 
where  it  could  be  reached  by  the  hiirse.  The  har- 
ness used  on  our  horse  was  not  sucij  as  an  Eastern 
harness-shop  would  like  to  hang  outside  to  adver- 
tise its  work,  for  it  consisted  of  a  collar  made  oat 
of  old  sacks,  a  pair  of  hames  made  from  two 
crooked  sticks  fastened  together  at  top  and  bottom 
with  pieces  of  rope,  and  a  pair  of  rope  tugs. 
Could  it  have  been  preserved,  and  returned  to  the 


i 


80 


Gold  Hunters  in   Alaska 


M 


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•.!"i 


% 


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States,  it  might  have  occupied  a  prominent  place 
in  some  museum  ;  but  it  is  doubtful  if  either  horse 
or  harness  will  ever  leave  Alaska. 

Our  next  need  was  a  stable  for  our  hor^e.  To 
make  this  we  dug  a  hole  in  the  snow  eight  feet 
square  and  seven  feet  deep,  and  covered  it  with  a 
tarpaulin.  The  drifting  snow  would  soon  form  a 
nice  w^arm  roof,  but  without  the  tarpaulin  cover, 
would  soon  have  filled  up  our  stable,  and  buried 
our  horse.  An  inclined  path  down  into  it  was 
shoveled  out,  and  in  this  way  our  animal  was  pro- 
tected from  the  storms  which  so  often  swept  the 
glacier. 

Conspicuous  upon  the  trail  were  several  women 
who  had  gone  to  Alaska  with  their  husbands,  and 
nearly  every  day  we  would  meet  them  trudging 
along  through  the  snow,  pushing  with  a  stick 
placed  against  the  rear  end  of  a  loaded  sled,  to 
assist  their  husbands  with  their  loads.  A  few  of 
them  did  no  v^ork  but  to  cook  for  their  husbands> 
and  care  for  the  tent  in  their  absence,  while  others 
went  out  and  toiled  on  the  trail  all  day,  doing  the 
work  of  a  man. 

One  day,  just  on  a  tour  of  investigation,  one  of 
these  women  walked  from  Valdez  to  the  foot  of 
the  glacier,  then  up  the  mountain  of  ice  fifteen 
miles    and    then    returned    to    Valdez,    making   a 


I 


Starting  over  the  Glacier 


81 


round  trip  of  forty  miles  in  one  day,  over  a  trail 
which,  at  its  best,  was  bad  enough.  This  same 
woman  walked  over  the  glacier  several  times  dur- 
ing the  summer,  and  in  her  search  for  gold  pene- 
trated almost  as  far  into  the  interior  as  did  any  of 
the  men.  I  remember  one  day  during  the  sum- 
mer, while  on  a  prospecting  trip,  meeting  one  of 
these  women  dressed  in  male  attire  plodding  along 
beside  her  husband  on  a  steep  mountain  trail 
thirty-five    miles    from    camp. 

Another  instance  which  illustrates  the  pluck  and 
endurance  of  these  women,  was  one  who,  even 
before  we  began  the  ascent  of  the  glacier,  made 
herself  conspicuous  by  her  hard  labor  on  the  trail, 
from  early  morning  until  late  at  night  ;  and  many 
days  when  it  was  so  stormy  that  few  men  cared 
to  expose  themselves  to  the  elements,  this  little 
woman  and  her  husband  could  be  seen  trudging 
along  with  a  heavily  loaded  sleJ  All  the  way 
over  the  glacier  her  physical  enduri^nce  was  the 
wonder  of  all  who  saw  her.  For  months  they  had 
toiled  and  got  their  goods  over  to  the  head  waters 
of  the  Klutina  River,  toiling  almost  night  and  day. 
The  snow  left  them,  so  that  sledding  was  impos- 
sible ;  and  as  they  could  not  well  whipsaw  lumber 
for  a  boat,  they  purchased  one,  paying  for  it  $60. 
Loading  their  goods  into  this  boat  they  started 
6 


82 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


F,f.  ■: 

'J   ;i 


down  the  swift-flowing  stream,  and  had  gone  but 
a  little  distance  when  their  boat  was  capsized,  and 
all  their  goods  which  they  had  labored  so  long  and 
hard  to  draw  over  the  great  mountain  of  ice,  were 
lost.  It  seemed  as  if  this  was  enough  to  break  the 
spirit  of  most  people,  under  such  circumstances  ; 
but  having  a  little  money  left,  they  watched  for 
opportunities  where  provision  could  be  obtained 
cheap,  and  were  soon  in  possession  of  another 
complete    outfit. 

There  was  one  woman  on  the  trail  who  felt  at 
home  at  almost  any  kind  of  work,  but  seemed  at 
her  best  when  participating  in  some  exciting 
adventure.  She  could  guide  a  boat  down  the 
swiftest  mountain  stream  equal  to  an  Indian,  and. 
she  seemed  anxious  for  an  opportunity  to  shoot 
the  great  Klutina  River  rapids.  She  could  handle 
and  shoot  a  rifle  with  the  dexterity  of  an  old 
hunter.  She  always  joined  her  husband  in  his 
hunting  excursions,  and  many  birds  and  animals 
were  brought  down  by  her  unerring  aim.  She 
was  good-natured  and  always  jolly,  having  a 
pleasant  word  for  every  one  she  met,  and  seemed 
greatly  to  enjoy  the  kind  of  life  she  was  living. 

Our  goods  from  Seattle  arrived  while  we  were 
camped  near  the  top  of  the  third  bench,  and  we 
were  sent  for  to  assist  in   unloading  and  getting 


).UilNlliJ^f||ltilP4;u|)l9^;i,.,,|««lf^iV'-''*IU<'l)'^%>'W'^vl*l'4*'9''"*W4P>'IWM 


Starting  over  the  Glacier 


83 


them  up  to  the  store.  Leaving  our  work  at  the 
glacier,  we  spent  two  days  at  Valdez,  in  which 
time  our  goods  were  safely  housed.  Returning 
again,  we  resumed  the  arduous  work  of  hauling 
loads  over  this  long  stretch  of  uphill  trail  to  the 
foot  of  the  fourth  bench,  and  it  used  up  many  days 
before  they  were  all  there. 

About  this  time  Mr.  L.  D.  Hoy  tendered  his  res- 
ignation as  general  superintendent  of  the  company, 
which  was  accepted,  and  I  was  elected  in  his  stead. 
We  had  now  the  larger  portion  of  our  goods  at  the 
foot  of  the  fourth  bench,  so  I  moved  my  tent  and 
one  other  there,  while  the  three  remaining  tents 
went  on  to  the  foot  of  the  summit,  five  miles  be- 
yond the  fourth  bench. 

At  this  time  Messrs.  S.  J.  Cone,  T.  O.  Roggers, 
L.  D.  Hoy,  and  Dr.  Kortright  withdrew  from  the 
company,  and  returned  to  the  States,  making  nine 
in  all  who  had  withdrawn  since  landing  at  Valdez. 
This  greatly  reduced  our  numbers,  yet  we  pushed 
on  as  hopeful  as  ever  that  the  future  held  a  golden 
/  harvest  in  store  for  the  plucky  ones  who  de- 
served it. 

One  day  while  the  sun  was  shining  brightly 
upon  the  newly  fallen  snow  over  which  I  was  pulling 
my  loaded  sled  along  up  the  trail,  I  was  suddenly 
attacked    with    snow    blindness.       I    was    assisted 


i  i 


-) 


■ 


84 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


1  ' 


'.,"  ..f 


■1  I- 


back  to  the  tent,  and  for  two  days  suffered  terri- 
bly from  it,  when  I  was  able  to  resume  work.  It 
was  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  men  taken  back 
to  their  tents  by  their  comrades,  unable  to  see  any- 
thing. All  sorts  of  glasses  were  used  as  a  protec- 
tion, but  in  spite  of  any  and  all  these,  scores  of  men 
were  stricken  by  it.  The  suffering  from  it  is  in- 
tense ;  the  pain  resembling  that  caused  by  the 
strongest  fumes  of  freshly  grated  horseradish,  and 
the  only  way  we  found  any  relief  was  by  the  lib- 
eral use  of  witch-hazel  extract.  We  had  happily 
provided  an  abundant  supply  of  this  in  our  stock 
of  medicines,  and  it  proved  of  inestimable  service. 
That  which  afforded  us  the  most  protection  was 
wooden  goggles,  the  patterns  for  which  were  taken 
from  those  worn  by  Indians.  These  were  whittled 
out  of  a  piece  of  wood,  fitting  closely  around  the 
eye,  and  with  no  glasses  at  all  ;  but  in  the  place  of 
glasses  were  very  small  openings  to  see  through, 
the  inside  being  colored  black.  A  projection  like 
the  visor  of  a  cap  extended  over  them,  which  was 
also  colored  black  on  the  under  side  to  shade  the 
eye.  The  mechanical  skill  of  the  makers  of  these 
goggles  was  varied.  Some  of  them  were  ungainly 
affairs,  weighing  half  a  pound  or  more,  while  others 
were  thin  and  light,  and  beautifully  carved. 
At  the  fourth  bench,  where  my  camp  was   now 


i*L* 


Starting  over  the  Glacier 


85 


located,  there  was  a  village  of  about  one  hundred 
tents  scattered  along  the  trail.  For  nearly  a  mile 
there  was  almost  one  continuous  pile  of  goods. 
Men  who  had  got  their  supplies  farther  up  the 
trail  were  moving  out,  and  going  on  up  to  the  foot 
of  the  summit,  where  were  perhaps  one  hundred 
and  fifty  tents  more. 

The  higher  we  climbed  upon  the  glacier,  the  more 
frequent  and  severe  were  the  storms.  Day  after 
day  we  trudged  along  through  the  drifting  snow, 
which  was  constantly  filling  the  trail  as  we  passed 
over  it.  It  was  not  uncommon  in  the  morning  to 
find  from  six  inches  to  a  foot  of  fresh-fallen  snow, 
through  which  we  must  break  a  trail  ;  but  with 
hundreds  of  men  in  line,  it  was  not  so  bad.  Those 
who  were  in  advance,  when  fatigued,  would  drop 
back,  and  others  who  had  been  having  a  compara- 
tively easy  time  in  the  rear  would  take  the  lead  ; 
and  by  so  doing  the  trail  would  be  opened  without' 
any  great  hardship  to  any  one. 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  MS80 

(716)  872-4503 


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CHAPTER  V 


II  i 


THE  GREAT  SNOWSTORM 

Day  after  day  we  toiled  on,  and  half  our  goods 
were  at  the  foot  of  the  summit,  but  we  had  con- 
sumed so  much  more  time  making  the  ascent  than 
we  had  anticipated  that  our  supply  of  wood  was 
giving  out,  or  getting  short.     We  thought  that  we 
had  enough  to  take  us  clear  over  ;  and  we  hoped 
that  ten  days  would  see  us  over  the  dreaded  sum- 
mit with  all  our   stuff;  but  when    we  arose    one 
morning,  we  found  a  blinding  snowstorm  raging, 
which,  for  severity,  would  equal  any  blizzard  lever 
experienced  in  the  States.     We  had    worked    on 
many  stormy  days,  and  felt  the  necessity  of  improv- 
ing every  moment  to  the  best  possible  advantage  ; 
but  this  was  too  severe,  and  thinking  that  it  would 
cease  in  a  few  hours,  we  spent  the  day  in  our  tents, 
keeping   only  fire  enough  to  cook  our  food,  and 
spending  the  balance  of  the  time  in  our  sleeping 
bags.     Toward  night  we  arose,  and  after  supper 
went  outside,  and  shoveled  nearly  a  foot  of  snow 
from   around  our  tent,  but  the  storm  showed  no 
signs  of  abating.     Next  morning  we  awoke  to  find 


I!  I 


The  Great  Snowstorm 


87 


our  tent  nearly  breaking  under  its  weight  of  snow. 
We  crawled  out,  and  again  shoveled  the  snow 
away,  but  the  storm  raged  on.  We  went  about 
setting  our  sleds  upon  end, and  putting  everything 
in  a  place  where  we  could  find  them  when  the 
storm  was  over.  We  cooked  and  ate  our  break- 
fast, and  again  took  to  our  sleeping  bags,  where  we 
lay  all  day,  and  saw  our  tent  gradually  weighted 
down  with  another  foot  of  snow.  Again  wo  went 
out,  shoveled  the  snow  back  from  the  tent,  cooked 
and  ate  another  meal,  and  retired  for  the  night, 
wondering  what  the  end  of  all  this  would  be. 

I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  in  detail  the  next 
four  days,  but  niijht  and  day  the  storm  raged  on, 
and  we  could  do  nothing  beyond  shoveling  our 
tent  clear.  When  the  wall  of  snow  would  become 
so  high  that  we  could  not  throw  the  snow  over  the 
top,  we  would  climb  out  on  top  of  it,  and  tramping 
the  snow  hard,  would  set  our  tent  in  a  new  place. 
Thus  we  kept  on  top. 

The  smallness  of  our  wood  supply  caused  us  to 
practice  all  sorts  of  economy  in  its  use.  When  we 
had  a  fire,  we  would  fill  every  dish  we  could  spare 
with  snow,  and  place  it  as  near  the  fire  as  possible 
to  melt,  for  this  was  our  only  way  of  obtaining  a 
water  supply.  Frequently  some  man  would  come 
wallowing  through  the  snow  and  inquire  if  we  had 


g 


88 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


m 


any  wood  to  sell,  for  which  he  was  willing  to  pay- 
almost  any  price.  Of  course  we  had  none  to  spare, 
for  we  were  compelled  to  see  our  own  little  wood- 
pile almost  entirely  disappear,  while  the  nearest 
wood  was  fully  twenty  miles  away,  and  as  impos- 
sible to  get  at  as  if  it  had  been  at  the  north 
pole. 

Our  short  sleds,  as  I  have  before  stated,  were 
four  feet  long,  and  our  long  ones  six  feet.  In  the 
front  ends  of  these  sleds  were  steering  poles  six 
feet  long,  and  when  we  set  them  up  on  end,  we  had 
not  the  slightest  thought  that  they  would  be  cov- 
ered by  the  snow  ;  but  they  had  long  since  disap- 
peared, and  every  day  saw  the  pieces  of  the  steer- 
ing poles  protruding  above  them  growing  less  and 
less.  On  the  morning  of  the  sixth  day  of  the 
storm,  the  handles  of  the  shorter  sleds  were  en- 
tirely out  of  sight,  and  not  more  than  one  foot  of 
the  longer  pole  remained  above  the  snow. 

We  had  a  few  very  small  oil  stoves  and  a  small 
quantity  of  oil,  which  had  served  us  a  good  turn, 
and  we  were  offered  prices  for  these  which  almost 
staggered  us,  but  the  selling  of  any  kind  of  fuel 
was  no.  to  be  considered  for  a  moment.  Snow- 
slides  became  so  frequent  that  not  three  minutes 
would  pass  but  what  we  could  hear  one  somewhere 
in  the  mountains,  and  often  they  would  be  so  great 


The  Great  Snowstorm 


m 


that  the  noise  of  them  was  like  the  rolling  of  heavy 
thunder. 

One  night  the  great  mass  of  snow  which  had  ac- 
cumulated on  the  mountain  side  in  the  rear  of  the 
camp  at  the  foot  of  the  summit,  gave  way,  and 
came  crashing  down  the  mountain.  Nearly  every 
one  was  in  bed,  little  dreaming  of  the  danger  in 
store,  when  suddenly,  with  little  warning,  upward 
of  twenty  tents  were  buried  under  this  great  mass 
of  snow  from  six  to  fourteen  feet  deep.  Two  of 
our  tents,  containing  nine  men,  were  among  the 
number.  No  alarm  had  to  be  sounded,  for  every- 
body was  awakened  by  the  noise,  and  soon  two 
hundred  shovels  in  the  hands  of  willing  men  were 
plying,  to  rescue  the  unfortunates  who  were  under- 
neath. Many  men,  barefooted,  and  clad  only  in 
their  night-clothes, —  which  were  simply  their 
underclothes, — set  to  work,  and  for  hours  labored 
with  might  and  main  to  liberate  their  imprisoned 

« 

tent-mates    and    comrades.      Many  were  rescued 
just  in    time    to   save  their   lives. 

My  friend,  Harry  Sweet,  of  Hornellsv!!!  N.  Y., 
was  the  last  of  our  party  to  be  rescued,  and 
says  that  he  owes  his  life  to  the  almost  super- 
human efforts  of  his  tent-mates,  who,  as  soon 
as  they  were  liberated,  sprang  to  shoveling,  not 
thinking    of    their  bare  feet    or    scanty    clothes, 


■■ 


::»! 


90 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


and  shoveled  with   all  their  might  till  they  saw 
that   he   was   saved. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  the  readers  of  these 
pages  to  give  Mi.  Sweet's  story  of  his  experiences 
upon  this  never-to-be-forgotten  night.  Relating 
them  to  me  he  said  :  — 

"  1  was  the  first  to  get  into  my  sleeping  bag  that 
night.  I  hid  been  in  bed  some  time,  and  my  com- 
panions had  either  retired,  or  were  preparing  to 
do  so,  when  I  heard  a  great  roaring  noise,  which 
seemed  to  grow  louder,  and  to  come  nearer.  All 
at  once  it  dawned  upon  me  that  a  slide  was  com- 
ing toward  the  camp.  I  raised  up  in  my  sleeping 
bag,  and  shouted,  '  Look  out,  boys,  a  snowslide  is 
coming  ! '  The  words  had  hardly  escaped  my  lips 
when  it  struck  me,  as  I  sat  up  in  my  sleeping  bag, 
and  pushed  me  over  toward  the  center  of  the 
tent,  where  my  tent-mate,  Charles  Priceler,  was 
preparing  for  bed.  The  tent  was  crushed  down 
on  us  in  an  instant,  the  side-pole  coming  across 
Priceler's  feet,  and  as  I  was  thrown  over  by  the 
weight  of  the  snow,  my  hand  came  in  contact  with 
one  of  his  bare  heels,  which  I  clung  to  as  well  as  I 
could.  I  do  not  know  how  long  I  lay  in  this  posi- 
tion, but  it  was  some  time.  I  had  no  difficulty  in 
breathing,  but  I  could  feel  the  great  weight  of 
snow  settling  down  upon  me.     I  could  hear,  now 


|i  ! 


The  Great  Snowstorm 


n 


and  then,  the  faint  sound  of  shovels,  as  they  occa- 
sionally clashed  together,  and  I  knew  that  men 
were  digging  for  us.  Soon  I  felt  the  foot  moving 
upon  which  I  had  a  grasp,  and  it  quickly  slipped 
away  from  me  altogether.  As  soon  as  this  oc- 
curred, it  seemed  as  if  the  supply  of  breath- 
ing air  was  being  shut  off;  and  though  I  could 
hear  more  plainly  the  shovels  of  my  rescuers,  I 
began  to  feel  that  it  was  all  up  with  me.  I  faintly 
heard  these  words  :  '  Let  me  have  that  shovel  ;  I 
know  just  where  he  is.'  I  recognized  it  as  the 
voice  of  Priceler,  and  knew  that  he  had  got  out. 
I  could  feel  my  senses  leaving  me.  My  head  began 
to  whirl ;  I  thought  I  was  dying.  I  remember 
nothing  more  until  I  was  being  taken  to  a  tent, 
and  was  put  into  a  sleeping  bag,  and  given  a  large 
drink  of  liquor.  It  seemed  to  warm  and  revive 
me,  and  I  soon  felt  quite  comfortable. 

"During  the  night  some  one  came  to  the  tent, 
and  yelled,  'Lookout!  another  slide  is  coming.' 
I  was  out  of  that  sleeping  bag  in  a  jerk,  and  went 
dashing  after  my  companions  as  they  swept  out  of 
the  tent.  VVe  started  across  the  glacier,  flounder- 
ing in  snow  nearly  to  our  waists,  trying  to  get  out 
of  harm's  way.  The  alarm  proved  to  be  a  false 
one,  and  we  waded  back  to  the  tent  more  leisurely. 
On  my  way  back  I  met  a  woman,  and  having  only 


92 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


my  underclothing  on,  in  which  I  flew  during  the 
scare,  she  said  to  me,  '  My  dear  boy,  why  don't 
you  get  on  some  more  clothes?'  I  answered,  'My 
good  woman,  I  have  n't  any.'  On  my  arrival  at  the 
tent  I  borrowed  some  to  wear  until  I  could  get 
mine  out  from  under  the  snow,  where  they  had 
been  left.  Everybody  remained  up  the  balance  of 
that  night,  and  several  trails  were  made  for  some 
distance  out  on  the  glacier  to  enable  us  more 
readily  to  escape,  in  case  of  another  slide." 

After  Mr.  Sweet  had  related  to  me  this  experi- 
ence, he  told  me  of  two  other  very  narrow  escapes 
which  he  had  had  while  railroading,  being  mixed 
up  in  two  wrecks,  and  now  that  he  had  survived 
the  snow,  wondered  what  would  come  next.  We 
all  hoped  that  this  would  be  the  last. 

Two  poor  fellows  were  t^ken  from  un  Jer  this 
great  snowslide  dead.  Being  Odd  Fellows,  their 
remains  were  taken  in  charge  by  members  of  that 
order  ;  and  as  soon  as  the  trail  was  opened  so  it 
was  possible,  they  were  wrapped  in  their  blankets, 
placed  upon  sleds,  and  taken  over  the  summit, 
down  to  the  timber,  where  graves  were  dug,  and 
they  were   buried. 

At  this  same  time  another  slide  occurred  at  the 
second  bench  of  the  glacier,  in  which  several  men 
were  injured,  and  s^ven  mules  were  killed.     It  was 


The  Great  Snowstorm  JMI 

supposed  at  the  time  that  no  men  were  killed,  out 
there  came  a  report  late  in  the  summer,  that  the 
melting  of  the  snow  had  uncovered  the  remains  of 
three  men  who  had  perished  under  it.  I  can  not 
vouch  for  the  truth  of  this  report,  but  I  do  know 
that  whole  tents  full  of  men  might  have  remained 
buried  under  that  slide  at  the  summit  and  not 
have  been  missed  ;  for  people  generally  were 
strangers  to  each  other,  and  during  the  storm  few 
had  stirred  out  to  ascertain  who  their  neighbors 
were. 

The  day  following  the  snowslide  was  spent  in 
moving  our  tents  farther  out  upon  the  glacier,  to  a 
place  of  safety.  Then  began  the  breaking  of  new 
trails,  which,  with  wind  blowing  and  snow  drift- 
ing, was  a  hard  and  slow  business.  A  dozen  men 
went  over  the  trail  with  snowshoes,  packing  as 
well  as  they  could.  Following  them  were  as  many 
men  as  could  be  got  out  for  that  purpose,  tramp- 
ing a  trail  wide  enough  for  a  good  road,  and  follow- 
ing these  came  lightly  loaded  sleds.  In  this  way 
a  fairly  good  trail  was  opened  up  from  the  fourth 
bench  to  the  summit,  in  two  days.  It  wi\s  the  aim 
of  the  trail-makers  to  get  the  new  trail  as  near  as 
possible  to  the  line  of  the  old  one,  for  scattered 
along  that  were  hundreds  of  caches  of  goods 
which  now  had  no  mark  by  which  to  locate  them  ; 


< 


94 


Gold  Hunters  in   Alaska 


for  everything  that  might  have  been  left  to  desig- 
nate their  location  was  now  many  feet  under  snow. 
Many  men  were  out  with  long  poles,  probing  the 
snow  in  search  of  lost  goods.  Frequently  a  man's 
stick  would  strike  a  pile  of  goods,  and  upon  shov- 
eling them  out,  he  would  find  that  they  belonged 
to  some  one  else  ;  and  while  he  was  doing  this, 
perhaps  some  other  mai.  might  have  discovered 
his.  In  this  way  the  greater  portion  of  goods 
along  the  line  was  discovered.  But  occasionally 
a  man  would  probe  for  his  goods  many  days  with- 
out finding  them,  and  even  then  perhaps  he  would 
be  compelled  to  abandon  his  search  ;  nor  is  this 
strange  when  it  is  remembered  that  this  single  fall 
of  snow  measured  fully  eleven  feet.  Besides  this, 
thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of  goods  were  carried 
away  by  the  great  "  slide,"  beyond  recovery,  thus 
leaving  destitute  many  poor  fellows  who  had 
labored  hard,  almost  night  and  day,  to  get  them 
up  thus  far. 

As  soon  as  the  trail  was  open,  the  two  tents 
which  had  been  at  the  fourth  bench,  were  moved 
to  the  foot  of  the  summit,  so  our  five  tents  were 
now  together,  and  the  goods  remaining  below  were 
hurried  along  up  the  trail  as  fast  as  possible. 
While  we  were  doing  this,  there  came  a  report 
from  the  interior  to  the  effect  that  those  who  were 


The  Great  Snowstorm 


95 


in  advance  had  reached  the  valley  beyond  the 
glacier,  and  following  it  down,  had  found  it  only  a 
barren,  surrounded  on  all  sides  with  high  moun- 
tains, with  no  possible  chance  to  go  farther.  This 
practically  put  a  stop  to  all  work  on  the  trails  until 
the  truth  or  falsity  of  the  report  could  be  ascer- 
tained. 

Various  plans  were  proposed,  but  the  one  which 
promised  the  quickest  solution  was  to  send  a  man 
back  down  the  glacier  to  "  Fox  Island,  "  to  see  the 
Indian  woman,  whom  I  have  mentioned  as  having 
her  feet  frozen  while  passing  over  this  very  place, 
and  ascertain  of  her  if  we  were  on  the  right  trail 
to  Copper  River.  A  man  in  the  crowd  was  found 
who  knew  her,  and  he  consented  to  go.  He  must 
necessarily  take  a  rowboat  from  Valdez,  and  so  a 
collection  was  taken  to  hire  two  men  to  accom- 
pany him,  and  he  immediately  started  on  his 
errand.  In  two  days  he  returned  with  the  welcome 
news  that  we  were  on  the  right  trail.  This  report 
had  undoubtedly  been  started  by  some  parties 
in  advance  who  hoped  to  turn  back  some  of  the 
large  crowd  which  they  knew  was  following  them. 
Of  course  it  would  not  be  difficult  to  imagine  their 
object ;  for  if  gold  should  be  found  down  the  val- 
ley, with  so  many  people  after  it,  there  would  be  a 
most  interesting  scramble  for  claims. 


CHAPTER    VI 


OUT  OF  WOOD   ON   THE   SUMMIT   OF   THE   GLACIER 


i 


Our  small  supply  of  wood  became  exhausted, 
and  one  by  one  the  few  boards  which  we  had 
brought  along  to  serve  as  a  floor  in  our  tents,  to 
keep  our  sleeping  bags  off  the  snow,  were  used  up. 
The  board  we  had  used  as  a  table  was  next  to  go, 
and  then  we  had  nothing  left  to  cut.  Something 
must  be  done.  So  about  three  o'clock  one  morn- 
ing Wesley  Jaynes  and  I  set  out  to  find  wood. 
Taking  our  sleds,  we  decided  to  take  a  load  of 
goods  down  the  opposite  side,  toward  the  Copper 
River  Valley,  and  bring  back  wood.  We  climbed 
to  the  summit,  where  we  had  a  cache  of  flour, 
loaded  three  hundred  pounds  on  each  sled,  and 
began  the  descent.  We  drew  our  sleds  the  first 
half  mile  with  but  little  exertion.  Coming  then  to 
a  place  where  the  sleds  would  run  themselves,  we 
climbed  on,  and  ran  about  a  mile,  riding  the  entire 
distance.  Here  we  came  to  a  steep  place.  The 
day  before  had  been  warm  enough  to  thaw,  and 
during  the  night  a  crust  had  frozen  sufficiently 
strong  to   hold   our   loads  with   our  own  weight 

96 


^ 


iflilli 


On  the  Summit  of  the  Glacier  .        97 

added.  For  half  a  mile  the  glacier  was  so  steep 
that  it  was  with  difficulty  that  we  could  hold  our 
loads  back.  WH^n  near  the  bottom  of  this  steep 
bench,  we  could  It.  k  for  miles  down  the  glacier, 
over  the  smooth  crust,  with  nothing  to  impede  our 
progress.  I  ent  to  the  left  of  the  trail  some  dis- 
tance, and  mounting-  the  load,  let  it  go.  The  first 
half  mile  I  rode  faster  than  I  cared  to,  perched  on 
a  load  of  flour  ;  but  meeting  no  obstacles  I  rode  on 
for  three  miles,  thinking  of  what  a  '*  snap  "  we  were 
going  to  have  when  we  should  get  all  our  goods 
on  the  summit,  and  expecting  my  friend  Jaynes 
was  following  me.  Hut  upon  glancing  back,  he  was 
nowhere  to  be  seen.  I  stopped  my  sled,  and  be- 
gan wondering  what  had  become  of  him.  Taking 
a  survey  of  the  situation,  I  soon  saw  him  away  off 
to  one  side  of  the  glacier,  walking  along- without 
any  sled.  I  was  wondering  what  had  become  of  it, 
when  it  occurred  to  me  that  it  had  run  away.  In 
a  little  time  I  saw  him  coming  toward  me,  and  he 
had  his  sled.  I  waited  for  him,  and  he  related 
to  me  his  experience.  He  had  mounted  his  sled 
farther  up  the  steep  hill  than  I  had,  and  had  gone 
down  on  the  right  side  of  the  trail,  where  the  sur- 
face was  not  IS  smooth  ;  and  upon  reaching  the 
foot  of  the  steep  hill  his  sled  had  acquired  such  a 
velocity  that  in   going  over  a  rough  spot  he  was 


98 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


V 


thrown  ofif,  and  the  loaded  sled  shot  on  down  the 
glacier  bv  itself.  He  followed  after  it  for  two 
miles,  and  when  he  came  up  to  it,  found  that  it 
had  stopped  just  on  the  brink  of  a  great  chasm  in 
the  glacier,  hundreds  of  feet  in  depth,  whence, 
had  it  made  the  leap,  it  would  never  have  been 
recovered. 

The  next  four  miles  there  was  just  enough 
descent  for  the  sleds  to  run  themselves,  and  we  had 
another  delightful  ride  over  the  smooth  crust.  The 
descent  then  became  too  great  to  ride,  and  we 
walked  the  next  mile  and  a  half,  holding  our  sleds 
back.  Here  we  reached  the  last  half  mile  of  the 
glacier,  which  was  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees. 
Wrapping  a  piece  of  large  rope  around  one  of  the 
sled  runners  to  assist  in  holding  back,  we  easily- 
made  the  descent  to  the  foot  of  the  glacier. 

The  valley  leading  down  from  the  foot  of  the 
glacier  has  an  average  width  of  one  mile,  down 
which  flows  one  branch  of  what  forms  the  head- 
waters of  the  Klutina  River,  but  which  was  now 
frozen  solid,  and  covered  with  three  feet  of  snow 
from  mountain  to  mountain.  This  was  also  crusted 
sufficiently  to  hold  our  weight,  and  taking  our 
loaded  sleds,  we  started  down  the  valley  toward 
the  nearest  timber,  which  was  four  miles  far- 
ther on. 


On  the  Summit  of  the  Glacier 


99 


Here  we  found  a  little  village  of  about  twenty- 
five  tents.  These  men  were  in  advance,  and  had 
got  their  goods  all  over  the  glacier,  and  were 
pushing  on  down  to  Lake  Klutina,  which,  they  in- 
formed us,  was  seventeen  miles  distant  from  the 
camp. 

Unloading  our  flour,  we  ate  our  dinner,  which 
the  crisp,  cold  air  had  frozen,  after  which  we  began 
to  look  about  for  some  dry  wood.  Noticing  some 
fine  dry  trees  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  we 
started  across  the  valley  toward  them.  The  warm 
sun  had  for  two  hours  been  shining  down  into  the 
valley  and  had  softened  the  crust  so  it  would 
not  bear  our  weight ;  and  about  every  other  step 
we  would  break  through,  and  go  down  nearly  to 
our  waists  in  soft  snow. 

At  last  we  reached  the  timber,  and  cutting 
twelve  sticks,  five  feet  long  and  with  an  average 
size  of  four  inches  through,  we  loaded  six  upon 
each  sled,  and  started  for  the  foot  of  the  glacier, 
where  we  arrived  about  3  P.  M.  We  found  the 
ascent  very  hard  work.  The  sun  had  softened  the 
snow  in  the  trail  so  that  we  sank  into  it  six  inches 
at  every  step.  Reaching  the  top  of  the  first  bench, 
we  sat  down  to  rest.  Hearing  a  slight  noise  up  the 
mountain,  we  glanced  upward,  and  fully  five 
thousand   feet  above  us,  saw  the   beginning  of  a 


100 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


snowslide.  Knowing  that  we  were  in  a  safe  posi- 
tion, we  sat  and  watched  it.  At  first  it  was  small, 
and  the  nois3  of  it  could  scarcely  be  heard  ;  but  as 
it  came  down,  it  increased  in  width  and  force, 
until  it  was  sweeping  everything  before  it. 

About  halfway  down  the  mountain  side  there  was 
a  perpendicular  wall  of  rock,  perhaps  a  thousand 
feet  high.  When  the  great  mass  of  snow  reached 
the  brink,  it  swept  over,  and  when  it  struck  the 
rocks  below,  we  could  distinctly  feel  the  great 
glacier  upon  which  we  were  sitting  tremble  from 
the  shock.  Then  it  started  again,  on  another 
downward  sweep,  rushing  along  the  steep  moun- 
tain side  until  near  its  foot,  where  was  an  incline, 
down  which  it  seemed  to  run  like  molten  lava. 
And  I  could  then  see  how  so  many  people  had  been 
buried  under  these  great  avalanches. 

Starting  on  again,  we  pursued  our  upward  way, 
occasionally  stopping  to  rest,  until  nine  o'clock  at 
night,  when  we  had  reached  a  point  two  miles 
from  the  summit.  Here  we  became  so  thoroughly 
exhausted  that  we  could  take  our  loads  no  farther, 
and  leaving  them  beside  the  trail,  went  on,  reach- 
ing camp  more  dead  than  alive.  Next  morning 
we  returned,  and  brought  in  our  loads.  We  could 
have  sold  these  two  little  loads  of  wood  before 
reaching  camp  for  forty  dollars,  so  great  was  the 


■i 


Mi 


On  the  Summit  of  the  Glacier        101 

wood  famine.  These  two  small  loads,  when 
divided  among  five  camps,  gave  only  a  small 
amount  to  each  tent,  and  we  practiced  the  most 
rigid  economy  in  its  use. 

Occasionally  some  men  would  get  their  goods  all 
on  the  summit,  and  then  move  their  camps  on  to 
the  timber  ;  and  we  would  watch  eagerly  for  these 
chances  to  gather  up  tent  stakes,  or  any  small 
pieces  of  wood  which  they  might  leave  behind. 
Dry  wood  generally  sold  for  twenty-five  cents 
a  pound,  and  often  could  not  be  had  at  that  price. 

At  last  we  had  all  our  goods  at  the  foot  of  the 
summit,  and  the  next  move  was  to  get  them  upon 
the  top.  We  established  relays  of  men  up  the 
summit,  and  one  man  would  take  a  sack  of  flour 
and  carry  it  a  hundred  yards,  when  another  man 
would  take  it,  carrying  it  another  hundred  ;  then 
a  third,  and  fourth,  and  so  on.  In  this  way  one 
hundred  sacks  were  moved  to  the  top,  when  this 
plan  was  abandoned,  and  the  rope  and  pulley 
again  brought  into  use.  We  stretched  one  thou- 
sand feet  of  rope,  and  sent  fifteen  men  to  the  top, 
who  seizing  hold  of  one  end  of  the  rope,  came 
down,  thus  drawing  up  a  sled  load  often  to  twelve 
hundred  pounds  on  the  other  end. 

We  would  haul  all  our  goods  up  thus  far,  plant 
our  stake  another  thousand  feet  up,  and  repeat  the 


<  ! 


ii 


li 


102 


Gold  Hunters  in   Alaska 


operation.  It  took  five  pulls  of  this  sort  to  gef 
our  goods  from  the  foot  of  the  summit,  or  the  last 
bench,  to  the  top  of  the  glacier. 

All  this  had  to  be  done  in  the  severest  weather, 
and  frostbites  were  of  common  occurrence.  But 
that  which  gave  us  the  most  trouble  was  the  snow 
blindness.  Often  a  man  would  be  taken  blind 
while  n  the  trail,  and  it  was  no  uncommon  thing 
to  see  one  man  leading  another  back  to  his  tent, 
where  he  would  suffer  for  days,  unable  to  see  any- 
thing. . 

One  very  remarkable  incident  occurred,  which 
I  will  here  inentio.i.  One  miner  had  four  mag- 
nificent dogs  buried  under  the  snowslide.  When 
it  was  thought  that  all  the  men  had  been  rescued, 
he  set  about  rescuing  his  dogs,  if  possible.  After 
hours  of  hard  work,  he  came  upon  one,  which  was 
dead.  He  kept  on  till  he  reached  the  second, 
which  was  also  dead,  and  so  on  to  the  third. 
Finding  these  three  dead,  and  being  nearly  ex- 
hausted himself,  he  gave  up  the  search  for  the 
fourth  dog,  and  went  about  his  other  work.  Eight 
days  after  as  some  men  were  probing  in  the  snow 
for  lost  goods,  they  heard  the  faint  bark  of  a  dog 
coming  from  beneath  the  snow.  Securing  shovels 
they  dug  down,  and  rescued  the  dog,  which  in  a 
few  days  was  apparently  as  well  as  ever. 


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CHAPTER  VII 


DESCENDING   THE   GLACIER 


At  last  our  goods  were  all  on  top  of  the  glacier, 
and  the  time  had  come  when  we  could  move  our 
camp  over  to  timber.  I  shall  never  forget  our  last 
two  days'  work.  We  worked  in  a  blinding  snow- 
storm, the  wind  blowing  almost  a  gale,  while  the 
air  was  keenly  cold.  For  twenty-six  hours  we 
toiled  on  without  rest,  over  a  bad  trail,  but  finally 
reached  our  destination  at  the  timber  line,  so  tired 
and  worn  out  that  the  boys  scarcely  waited  for 
anything  to  eat,  but  threw  themselves  down  upon 
their  blankets,  and  were  soon  fast  asleep. 

By  this  time  the  sun  had  completely  ruined  the 
trail  leading  from  the  foot  of  the  glacier  down  to 
where  we  were  camped.  During  the  middle  of  the 
day  men  would  go  in  to  their  knees  in  slush,  if 
they  attempted  to  travel  it.  But  the  nights  were  so 
cold  that  a  crust  would  form  on  the  snow  suffi- 
ciently hard  to  bear  our  weights,  so  we  would  leave 
our  camp  before  midnight,  go  to  the  summit,  and 
bring  down  a  load  of  five  or  six  hundred  pounds, 
unloading  part  of  it  at  the  foot,  and  bringing  the 

108 


1       *'■ 


104 


Cold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


balance  on  the  crust  to  camp.  Our  second  trip  to 
the  summit  after  goods  was  an  unusually  severe 
one.  We  left  camp  about  11  P.  M.,  and  started 
out  up  the  glacier.  But  when  about  half  way  up, 
we  encountered  a  snowstorm  so  severe  that  we 
were  compelled  to  return,  and  wait  a  more  favor- 
able time.  The  next  night  was  bright  and  clear, 
and  we  considered  it  an  ideal  time  to  start  for  the 
summit.  The  night  air  was  crisp  and  frosty,  and 
when  half  way  up,  the  wind  began  to  blow,  and 
the  snow,  which  was  almost  constantly  falling  on 
the  summit,  began  to  come  down  to  us,  and  it 
was  not  long  before  we  were  in  a  terrible  blizzard. 
We  donned  our  oil-skins,  to  protect  ourselves 
as  far  as  possible  from  the  storm  and  cold.  The 
trail  was  entirely  obliterated,  and  we  were  obliged 
to  put  a  man  in  advance  with  a  long  probe-stick, 
to  feel  out  the  trail.  This  made  our  progress 
extremely  slow,  and  for  hours  we  pushed  on  into 
th«  teeth  of  the  storm,  which  was  constantly 
growing  worse  as  we  neared  the  summit.  We 
met  several  men  feeling  their  way  down  with 
loaded  sleds,  as  we  were  feeling  ours  up.  Ihey 
told  us  of  the  severity  of  the  storm  farther  up, 
and  said  we  had  yet  two  miles  to  go,  and  advised 
us  to  return  with  them  ;  but  we  had  struggled  so 
hard  to  come  thus  far  that  we  decided  to  push  on 


til 


Descending  the  Glacier 


105 


and  reach  our  goods  if  possible.  So  we  passed 
the  men,  and  in  a  moment  there  were  no  signs  vis- 
ible of  the  trail  over  which  they  had  come. 

Up  and  up  we  went,  wondering  how  .nuch  far- 
ther it  could  be,  when  at  last  our  cache  of  goods 
was  reached,  almost  buried  out  of  sight  in  snow. 
We  tarried  here  only  long  enough  to  eat  our 
lunch,  which  by  this  time  had  become  frozen  in 
our  pockets,  having  all  the  time  to  stamp  our  feet 
and  whip  our  arms  about  our  bodies  to  keep  up 
circulation,  and  prevent  our  freezing. 

As  soon  as  possible  we  loaded  our  sleds  with 
five  hundred  pounds  each,  and  began  our  return  ; 
but  it  was  slow  work,  for  our  leading  man  had  to 
thrust  his  sharpened  pole,  down  into  the  snow  at 
almost  every  step  to  keep  from  losing  our  way, 
and  to  lose  the  trail  in  a  storm  like  this  meant 
hours  of  floundering  about  in  the  drifting  snow, 
and  then  almost  certain  death  from  the  biting 
frost.  But  with  all  our  caution,  we  often  found 
our  sleds  bottom  side  up  in  the  deep  snow  beside 
the  trail.  This  would  call  a  halt  of  the  entire 
party,  for  we  dare  not  become  separated.  Those 
nearest  to  the  unfortunate  would  assist  him  to 
right  his  load,  and  then  we  would  proceed.  But 
who  that  has  not  experienced  it  can  imagine  the 
relief  when,  as  we  neared  the  foot  of  the  glacier, 


m 


'^ 


106 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


4 


we  came  out  into  the  brightest  sunshine,  and  were 
able  to  complete  our  trip  with  comparative  ease  ? 

By  the  time  our  goods  were  all  got  down  off  the 
glacier,  the  snow  in  the  valley  had  gone,  and  left 
us  with  three  tons  of  goods  still  up  at  the  foot  of 
the  ice.  Here  our  horse  served  us  a  good  turn. 
We  made  for  him  a  sort  of  Indian  drag  sled  upon 
which  he  could  haul  three  hundred  pounds  at  a 
load,  and  make  two  trips  a  day.  While  the  men 
were  at  other  Wv..k,  the  horse  was  kept  busy  until 
all  our  goods  Were  at  our  camp,  four  miles  from 
the  glacier. 

The  snow  was  gradually  disappearing  along  the 
valley  and  the  foothills,  and  the  stream  near  our 
camp,  leading  to  Lake  Klutina,  was  slowly  rising, 
and  we  were  convinced  that  it  would  not  be  long 
until  we  could  boat  our  goods  down.  But  the 
descent  was  such  that  the  current  must  necessarily 
be  very  swift,  and  we  knew  that  to  get  a  boat  back 
up  stream  after  having  taken  a  load  of  goods 
down,  would  be  a  difficult  task.  So  we  decided  to 
build  as  many  boats,  and  with  as  great  carrying 
capacity,  as  possible. 

Near  where  our  camps  were  located  there  had 
been  trees  sufficiently  large  to  make  good  lumber, 
but  these  had  all  been  cut  by  men  in  advance  of 
us,  and  the  lumber  from  them  was  fast  being  made 
into  boats.     Three  miles  below  our  camp  was  a 


Descending  the  Glacier 


m 


fine  piece  of  timber,  and  there  we  decided  to  estab- 
lish our  shipyard.  We  could  not  move  our  camp  to 
this  spot,  for  as  yet  we  had  no  boats.  So  it  was 
only  left  to  us  to  walk  three  miles  every  night  and 
morning  to  and  from  our  work.  In  going  this 
distance  we  were  obliged  to  cross  the  river  five 
times.  At  first  this  was  no  great  task,  as  the 
water  was  low  ;  but  every  day  we  could  see  that  it 
was  gradually  rising,  so  that  at  the  last  it  was 
accompanied  with  great  danger,  for  if  a  man  should 
lose  his  footing  in  the  swift  current,  he  could  not 
regain  it,  and  must  surely  be  carried  down, 

Manufacturing  lumber  for  these  boats  was  neces- 
sarily very  slow  and  hard  work  ;  for  it  must  be 
borne  in  mind  that  we  had  no  sawmills  along  with 
us.  Our  only  saws  were  long  handsaws,  or  long 
slitting  saws,  and  our  only  power  was  muscle 
power.  The  method  of  making  logs  into  boards 
is  novel  to  those  unaccustomed  to  the  methods 
of  frontier  life.  Sound,  straight  trees  as  large  as 
can  be  found  are  selected,  which  in  this  country 
are  usually  about  fourteen  inches  in  diameter,  and 
these  are  felled  and  cut  into  logs  as  long  as  one 
desires  the  boat  to  be.  Then  two  large  sawhorses 
are  built  about  six  feet  high,  which  are  placed  as 
near  the  logs  as  possible  ;  then  if  you  have  a  small 
company,  your  companions  are  invited  to  a  '*  roll- 
ing-bee," and  a  log  is  placed  on  the  two  horses. 


108 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


13 


The  log  is  then  peeled  and  leveled  up,  after  which, 
by  the  use  of  a  plumb-bob,  a  perpendicular  line  is 
made  upon  each  end  to  mark  the  center  of  the 
log.  Measuring  each  way  the  thickness  of  the 
lumber  desired,  other  marks  are  made  on  top  and 
bottom  ;  then  lines  are  struck  along  both  top  and 
bottom  from  each  of  these  points.  Thus  the  whole 
log  is  laid  out  into  lumber  of  the  desired  thickness 
ready  for  the  saw,  and  all  that  is  required  to  manu- 
facture good  lumber  is  a  good  saw,  experienced 
hands,  and  plenty  of  elbow  grease.  As  fast  as  the 
lumber  was  sawed,  it  was  carried  on  our  backs  out 
of  the  woods  to  our  shipyard,  where  it  was  piled 
up  in  a  position  to  dry. 

Near  where  our  camps  were  located  were  the 
graves  of  the  two  men  who  were  killed  upon  the 
glacier  in  the  great  snowslide.  The  Odd  Fellows 
had  graded  up  the  little  plot  of  ground  containing 
their  graves,  and  bordered  it  with  round  stones 
taken  from  the  bed  of  the  creek.  On  the  3()th  of 
May,  our  national  Memorial  day,  the  miners  who 
were  encamped  at  this  place  weni  out  and  gathered 
a  profusion  of  wild  flowers,  and  decorated  the 
graves  of  these  two  companions  in  hardship,  who 
had  so  suddenly  fallen  ;  and  simple  as  these  cere- 
monies may  seem  to  the  reader,  they  were  never- 
theless sad  to  us. 


(      "     '^., 


SAWMILL,  JUNE  10,  1898 


'■     v. 


i 


CHAPTER   VIII 


OUR   FIRST   BEAR    HUNT 

A  FEW  days  after  this,  Captain  Moyes,  Wesley 
Jaynes,  and  I  took  r   day  off,  and  went  hunting. 
We  had    heard   of   some  bears  being  seen    upon 
the  mountains,  so  we  were  up  early,  and  had  our 
first  experience  in  real  mountain  climbing.     We 
were  armed  with  our  trusty  old  Winchesters.    The 
snow  remained  only  in  spots,  and  for  half  a  mile 
v/G  climbed,  holding  on  to  bush  and  rock  to  keep 
from  sliding  back.     When  at  this  height,  we  came 
upon  the  tracks  of  a  large  bear,  and  also  of  some 
mountain   ^oats.     We  also  found    ourselves   con- 
fronted  by  a  wall  of  rock  fully  one  thousand  feet 
high.     There  was  only  one  spot  where  it  was  pos- 
sible to  make  the  ascent,  and  up  through  this  the 
bear  had  gone.     When  theie  was  any  difficult  un- 
dertaking ahead,  the  men  on  the  trail  would  say, 
"It's  a  tough  proposition."     So  this  seemed  to  us  ; 
yet  we  started  up,  but  more  than  once  regretted 
having  done  so. 

Now  and  then   we  would  halt,  and  think  to  ^,o 
back ;  but  one  glance  down    would    convince    us 

109 


110 


Gold  Hunters  in   Alaska 


that  the  ascent  was  less  dangerous  than  the  de- 
scent, and  we  climbed  on  up.  Finally  we  reached 
what  we  supposed  was  the  top,  but  we  found,  to 
our  dismay,  another  thousand  feet  of  rocky  wall. 
We  followed  the  bear's  track  along  this  ledge 
until  we  came  to  a  small  ravine,  up  which  he  had 
gone.  This  was  made  more  easy  of  ascent  by  the 
hard  snow  which  remained  in  it.  Up  this  ravine 
we  climbed,  scarcely  daring  to  look  back,  until  we 
passed  over  the  summ'':,  and,  with  a  sigh  of  relief, 
rested  upon  level  ground  fully  six  thousand  feet 
above  the  valley  we  had  left  in  the  morning. 
After  a  brief  rest,  we  started  on  the  bear's  track 
again,  and  soon  came  across  some  fresh  moose 
tracks.  This  caused  us  to  leave  the  bear,  and  go 
moose  hunting.  Soon  we  came  upon  so  many 
tracks  that  it  was  impossible  to  follow  any  of  them, 
they  were  so  mixed  up,  and  we  were  compelled  to 
give  up  the  chase. 

By  this  time  it  was  noon,  and  we  sat  down  to 
eat  our  lunch  upon  a  ledge  overlooking  the  valley 
so  many  thousand  feet  below,  and  it  was  a  sight 
to  waken  in  one  the  desire  for  an  artist's  brush 
and  an  artist's  skill.  The  picture  was  indeed  one 
of  rare  beauty.  Two  miles  below  was  a  village 
of  a  hundred  tents,  among  which  were  our  own. 
Four  miles  farther  on  were  at  least  two  hundred 


Our  First  Bear  Hunt 


111 


tents,  in  plain  view.  The  little  stream  was  lined 
with  busy  men,  floating  their  goods  down  to  the 
lake,  and  scores  of  others  were  building  boats. 
Farther  down,  other  campi;  were  seen,  and  nine- 
teen miles  away  the  lake  was  visible.  If  we  had 
cared    to   look  up  the  valley,  there   would    have 

'  loomed  before  us  the  great  glacier,  upon  which 
we  had  labored  so  hard  and  long ;  but  we  had 
seen  enough  of  that,  and  turned  ou*'  eyes  to  pic- 
tures that  were  new.  The  day  passed  without  our 
catching  sight  of  any  large  game  except  one  lynx, 
after  which  I  sent  a  couple  of  shots  as  he  passed 
out  of  sight  around  the  rocks.  We  saw  scores  of 
woodchucks,  which,  by  the  way,  are  nearly  white 
in  this  country.  Ground  squirrels  were  almost 
always  in  sight.  We  also  saw  several  ptarmigans, 
a  few  of  which  we  shot.  They  are  similar  to  the 
partridge  of  the  East,  only  they  are  pure  white  in 
winter  and  brown  in  summer.  At  this  time,  June 
4,  they  had  about  equal  parts  of  their  old  and  new 
coats,  making  them  speckled.  We  found  a  place 
in   the  mountain   more  easy  of  descent   than   the 

,  route  by  which  we  had  climbed,  and  reached  our 
camp  without  mishap,  but  fully  persuaded  to  do 
the  balance  of  our  hunting  on  the  lowlands. 

At  this  time  of  year  there  is  scarcely  any  night 
here.     The  twilight  begins  about  11  P.  M.,  and  by 


112 


Gold  Hunters  in   Alaska 


I  A.  M.  it  is  daylight.  Even  at  midnight  one  can 
easily  read  a  newspaper  inside  the  tent,  without 
artificial  light. 

While  our  company  was  camped  at  this  place, 
our  president,  D.  T.  Murphy,  of  Stamford,  Conn., 
and  one  of  the  founders  of  the  company,  left  us 
for  the  States,  giving  as  his  reason  for  so  doing, 
the  dangerous  illness  of  some  members  of  his  fam- 
ily. Shortly  after  this,  Captain  Emanuel  Moyes, 
Charles  Butts,  and  William  Williams  made  appli- 
cation to  withdraw  from  us  also.  They  were  given 
a  certain  portion  of  the  goods,  and  from  this  time 
on  they  continued  their  search  for  gold  independ- 
ent of  the  company.  Our  numbers  were  diminish- 
ing, but  still  we  pushed  on,  as  confident  of  success 
as  when  we  left  our  homes  fully  five  months 
before. 


CHAPTER    IX 


BUILDING   BOATS   ON    THE   KLUTINA 


As  soon  as  we  had  a  sufficient  amount  of  lum- 
ber sawed,  we  began  the   building  of  our  boats. 

The  work  of  boat  building  was  much  more  diffi- 
cult than  it  would  have  been  could  we  have 
stepped  into  a  planing  mill  and  selected  what  we 
needed,  already  sized  in  width  and  thickness.  But 
here  everything  wanted  must  be  caken  from  the 
tree,  and  worked  out,  and  this,  too,  with  but  a 
limited  selection  of  tools. 

Our  boats  were  built  twenty  feet  long,  and  had 
a  carrying  capacity  of  about  three  thousand  five 
hundred  pounds  each.  Walking  to  and  from  our 
work  was  a  ruinous  waste  of  time,  and  as  soon  as 
one  boat  was  completed,  we  began  moving  our 
camp  down  to  our  work.  The  river  by  this  time 
had  become  a  roaring  torrent,  and  almost  every 
day  we  would  see  goods  floating  by  on  its  surface, 
from  somebody's  boat  which  had  been  capsized  in 
the  river  above.  Many  men  had  been  building 
boats  who  were  entirely  'gnorant  of  how  they 
should  be  constructed,  and  in  many  cases  they 
8  113 


I'.i. 


114 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


t  ! 


were  entirely  destitute  of  the  elements  most 
needed  to  navigate  such  a  boisterous  stream  as 
this  in  safety.  Into  such  boats  as  these  they 
would  load  their  goods.  All  would  go  well  until 
the  boat  struck  a  rock,  which  it  was  sure  to  do 
before  going  far,  when  it  would  go  to  pieces,  and 
the  goods  which  it  had  carried  would  come  float- 
ing down  the  river.  Often  men  became  so  excited 
at  the  prospect  of  losing  their  goods  that  they 
would  rush  into  the  swift,  icy  water,  and  endanger 
their  lives  to  save  a  sack  of  flour  or  some  other 
articles  of  their  stores. 

I  once  saw  a  man  coming  down  the  river  with 
a  boat  load  of  provisions,  purchased  with  money 
for  which  he  had  mortgaged  his  home.  A  few 
months  before,  he  had  Itft  his  dear  ones,  so  full  of 
hope  that  he  could  soon  return  with  sufficient 
means  to  provide  for  their  every  want,  and  after 
months  of  toil  and  exposure  had,  as  he  thought, 
nearly  reached  the  country  where  his  fondest 
hopes  were  to  be  realized.  But  suddenly  his  boat» 
which  contained  all  his  earthly  possessions,  while 
rushing  through  the  swollen  waters,  struck  one 
of  the  countless  hidden  or  protruding  rocks,  and 
quickly  went  to  pieces,  and  his  goods  were  scat- 
tered among  the  driftwood  along  the  banks  or  at 
the  bottom  of  the  merciless  water.     And  standing 


T-T^----'*      ^^' 


I/) 

I- 
< 
o 
m 

o 

z 


00 


■/, 


Building  Boats  on  the  Klutina        115 

there  upon  the  bank,  his  goods  all  gone,  his  hopes 
all  blighted,  the  great  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks 
as  he  thought  that  he  must  now  find  his  way  out 
of  this  country,  and  go  back  to  his  loved  ones 
empty-handed.  It  was  a  sight  to  move  the  heart 
of  any  one  having  any  sympathy  left  in  his  nature. 
But  it  was  among  the  common  incidents  of  a 
mining  country,  or  a  country  where  such  an  army 
of  fortune-hunters  were  searching  for  gold. 

One  by  one  our  camps  were  moved  to  a  spot 
near  w'lere  we  were  building  our  boats,  which 
enabled  us  to  push  our  work  much  faster.  We 
had  brought  with  us  a  sufficient  quantity  of  oakum 
with  which  to  calk  our  boats,  but  only  half  enough 
pitch.  So  men  were  sent  out  to  gather  an  added 
supply,  of  which  there  was  an  abundance  on  the 
spruce  trees  growing  in  the  nearby  forests. 

At  last  our  boats  were  completed  and  launched, 
and  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  a  fleet  of 
six  fine  scows  drawn  up  in  line  in  front  of  our 
carpos. 

We  had  heard  rumors  of  the  struggle  pending 
between  the  United  States  and  Spain,  and  it  was 
suggested  that,  as  soon  as  our  goods  were  success- 
fully landed  at  Copper  River,  we  should  tender 
the  use  of  our  fleet  of  boats  to  the  United  States 
(Uncle  Sam),  for  with  such  a  formidable  fleet  as 


116 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


'.^'^:'¥    I 


ours  at  his  command,  little  doubt  could  be  enter- 
tained as  to  the  result  of  the  conflict. 

There  must  have  been  at  least  a  thousand  boats 
built  between  the  foot  of  the  glacier  and  Lake 
Klutina  ;  and  there  was  almost  as  great  a  variety 
as  there  were  boats.  Some  men  spent  many  days 
in  building  crude  log  rafts,  upon  which  they 
expected  to  load  their  goods,  and  float  them  down 
to  Copper  River.  Even  after  accidents  with  boats 
had  become  frequent,  men  persisted  in  building 
rafts,  and  risking  their  goods  and  even  their  lives 
upon  them  in  these  madly  rushing  waters.  But  I 
do  not  recall  a  single  instance  where  goods  were 
safely  conveyed  on  such  crafts  down  this  turbid 
stream  for  any  considerable  distance. 

Often  some  expert  mechanic  who  had  brought 
along  a  good  variety  of  tools  would  turn  out  a 
boat  fine  enough  to  grace  the  waters  of  any  aristo- 
cratic summer  resort,  but  often  these  finely  con- 
structed boats  would  be  the  first  to  go  to  pieces 
when  put  to  the  test  of  carrying  loads  down  this 
swift  mountain  stream. 

As  soon  as  the  snow  was  sufficiently  gone,  some 
of  the  men  began  to  prospect  for  gold  in  the  valley 
of  the  Klutina  and  its  tributaries,  but  the  larger 
portion  of  them  pushed  on  toward  Copper  River. 
Hunting   parties  were    also   out,   penetrating   the 


1 


Building  Boats  on  the  Klutina        117 

forests,  ascending  the  foothills,  and  climbing  the 
mountains  in  their  search  for  game. 

At  night  camp  fires  were  visible  in  almost  any 
direction  one  could  look.  The  moss  and  brush 
by  this  time  had  become  very  dry,  and  as  a  result 
of  the  carelessness  of  campers  in  leaving  their 
fires,  forest  fires  began  to  rage  along  the  valleys. 
Even  the  green  tops  of  the  spruce  trees  vyould 
burn  like  tinder,  and  the  flames  would  shoot 
upward  into  the  sky  for  a  hundred  feet  above  their 
tops.  It  was  a  beautiful  sight,  but  it  seemed  too 
bad  to  see  hundreds  of  acres  of  finest  spruce  tim- 
ber thus  destroyed. 

Very  naturally  this  was  a  source  of  grievous 
displeasure  to  the  Indians  to  see  the  forests 
destroyed  through  which  they  had  roamed  from 
year  to  year,  and  which  afforded  shelter  to  the 
game  without  which  it  would  be  difficult  for  them 
to  subsist.  But  they  seemed  to  have  no  thought 
of  retaliation,  and  always  treated  us  in  a  manner 
which  bespoke  friendship  for  the  white  man.  They 
would  sometimes  visit  our  camps,  and  when  suc- 
cessful in  their  chase,  had  no  hesitation  in  bringing 
us  a  choice  sieak  of  moose,  caribou,  or  mountain 
sheep,  as  the  fruit  of  their  hunt  made  possible. 

With  six  boats  at  our  command  it  was  but  the 
work  of  a  few  days  to  get  all  our  goods  down  to 


118 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


the  present  location  of  our  camp.     This  was  done 
without  any  serious  mishap  or  loss. 

One  day  a  member  of  the  company  who  was  in 
charge  of  a  boat  which  had  made  several  success- 
ful trips,  was,  in  company  with  others,  bringing 
down  loads.  As  they  approached  a  dangerous 
spot  in  the  stream,  some  one  on  one  of  the  other 
boats  cautioned  him  to  be  careful,  but  with  an  air 
which  bespoke  his  ability  to  pass  safely  all  the  bad 
places,  he  said,  "  Oh,  I  know  every  rock  in  the 
channel."  Scarcely  were  the  words  uttered  when 
his  boat  struck  a  rock,  and  immediately  filled  with 
water,  but  remained  fast  against  the  obstruction. 
The  larger  portion  of  the  goods  remained  in,  but 
some  of  thf;\n  floated  out  and  down  the  stream. 
The  channeH  h?.  opened  to  be  narrow  at  this  point, 
and  a  part  r.j  the  crew  jumped  out  and  got  to 
shore,  and  running  down  below  to  a  point  where 
the  current  brought  the  floating  articles  near  them, 
they  fished  out  the  greater  part  as  it  passed. 


I 


CHAPTER    X 

* 

OUR    FIRST   PROSPECTING   EXPERIENCE 

As  soon  as  our  goods  were  all  down,  our  entire 
company  took  a  whole  week  off,  and  went  pros- 
pecting. We  divided  into  small  parties,  and  went 
out  in  every  direction,  visited  all  the  tributaries 
of  the  headwaters  of  the  Klutina,  digging  down  as 
far  as  the  water  would  allow  us,  and  washing  out 
pans  of  the  dirt  at  different  intervals,  as  we  dug 
down. 

We  found  some  gold  on  almost  every  stream  ; 
from  forty  to  seventy  colors  could  be  counted  in 
every  pan  washed  out.  But  it  was  of  the  kind 
known  as  "  flour  gold,"  so  fine  that  it  could  not  be 
obtained  in  paying  quantities. 

The  week  of  prospecting  only  brought  this  kind 
of  discoveries,  but  it  served  to  keep  us  hopeful 
that  when  we  penetrated  farther  into  the  interior, 
we  should  find  some  richer  strikes.  So  we  began 
preparations  to  move  down  seventeen  miles  to 
Lake  Klutina. 

The  fourth  of  July  was  near  at  h  -nd,  and  the 
boys    were    planning    for    a    grand    celebration. 

119 


,v     1 


120 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


m 


;j       !    " 


Among  the  three  hundred  people  camped  at  this 
place,  there  were  some  very  excellent  singers,  so 
it  was  arranged  that  upon  the  evening  before  the 
Fourth  a  concert  should  be  given  at  one  of  the  larg- 
est tents.  This  proved  a  very  enjoyable  affair, 
and  lasted  until  nearly  midnight. 

Ai  soon  as  twelve  o'clock  came,  it  seemed  that 
ev^i  y  man  who  was  the  possessor  of  a  gun  of  any 
kfnd  began  to  celebrate  by  wasting  cartridges  in 
the  air,  and  for  five  minutes  there  was  such  a  roar 
of  firearms  as  I  feel  safe  in  saying  was  never  heard 
in  this  section  before.  Many  remained  up  all 
night,  and  pasred  the  time  in  keeping  every  one 
else  awake  also.  The  hundred  guns  planned  for 
a  sunrise  salute  was  so  enlarged  upon  that  it  came 
much  nearer  to  one  thousand. 

At  ten  o'clock  a  parade  was  given,  with  all  the 
miners  in  line.  This  differed  in  many  respects 
from  any  parade  I  had  ever  witnessed  before  — 
there  were  no  spectators.  The  men  marched  and 
countermarched  back  and  forth  Jong  the  trail 
which  led  through  the  village  of  tent,^,  each  carry- 
ing some  article  used  in  camp  life.  At  one  o'clock 
a  game  of  baseball  was  played  upon  a  large  level 
sandbar,  a  short  distance  from  the  river.  follow- 
ing the  ball  game,  rame  sack  races,  foot  races,  and 
various   other    game^      One   of    the   most   novel 


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Our  First  Prospecting  Experience      121 


ir 


I 


\  . 

■  I 


features  of  the  day  was  given  by  a  Minnesota 
vcizr.,  in  riding  a  log  down  the  turbid  waters  of  the 
Klutina  River,  This  proved  to  be  the  most  excit- 
ing exhibition  of  the  day,  for  the  man  was  not 
always  on  top  of  the  log  ;  but  he  exhibited  great 
skill  in  the  art  of  log  riding,  and  it  became  evi- 
dent that  it  was  not  his  first  attempt.  He  did  this 
feat  standing  st^:aight  up  on  his  log,  with  simply  a 
pole  in  his  hand's  to  use  in  balancing  or  guiding 
his  treacherous  craft. 

That  same  day,  after  the  celebration  was  over, 
we  decided  to  move  on  sixteen  miles  to  the  lake. 
None  of  us  l.ad  been  any  farther  down  than  where 
we  then  were  ;  the  stream  was  unknown  to  us, 
except  from  hearsay,  and  it  was  reported  danger- 
ous. We  had  seen  many  men  coming  back  who 
had  lost  all  their  goods  before  reaching  the  lake, 
and  it  had  cai.sed  something  of  a  dread  to  come 
over  ur>  all,  yet  we  must  attempt  it.  So  all  the 
boats  were  brought  up,  and  loaded  with  our  camp 
outfits,  and  as  much  goods  as  we  considered  safe 
to  take,  and  started  out  down  the  river,  allowing 
about  one  quarter  of  a  mile  between  boats.  The 
water  was  high  and  muddy,  and  it  was  impossible 
to  tell  where  the  deepest  channels  were.  My  boat 
was  the  last  to  start,  and  we  had  not  proceeded 
far  when  we  saw  one  of  the  others  stuck  fast  on  a 


I 


!'^ 


>f 


122 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


sand  bar  in  the  middle  of  the  stream.  The  men 
re  out  in  the  water  trying  lo  get  her  off  the 
I  r.  We  asked,  when  near  enough,  if  they  needed 
any  help,  but  receiving  a  negative  answer  we  shot 
past  them,  and  were  soon  out  of  sight  around  a 
bend  in  the  river. 

We  were  just  priding  ourselves  on  our  good 
fortune  in  escaping  the  shoals,  when  we  heard  our 
boat  grinding  on  the  bottom,  and  presently  it 
came  to  a  standstill.  Now  came  our  turn  to  get 
out  into  the  water,  and  after  a  half  hour's  hard 
work  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  her  float 
again.  We  climbed  into  her  as  she  swung  off  into 
deep  water,  and  away  we  went  down  the  stream, 
now  pulling  hard  to  avoid  a  rock  on  this  side,  and 
in  a  moment  pulling  as  hard  to  keep  clear  of  flood- 
wood  on  the  other,  around  which  the  water  would 
boil  in  maddening  fury.  Often  we  would  see  on 
shore  a  stake  bearing  a  red  cloth,  intended  as  a 
danger  signal.  Keeping  a  sharp  lookout,  we  would 
soon  discover  some  sunken  tree,  or  other  obstruc- 
tion upon  which  we  might  easily  have  been 
wrecked,  had  we  not  been  forewarned. 

Barring  a  few  slight  mishaps,  our  boats  all 
reached  the  lake  unharmed.  We  pitched  our  tents 
close  to  the  river's  bank  on  an  island  of  about 
twenty   acres.      It  was  indeed    a   beautiful   spot, 


t./:.;. 


':•. 


Our  First  Prospecting  Experience      123 

and  an  ideal  place  for  a  camp.  We  could  look 
three  miles  across  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  val- 
ley, and  see  another  stream,  which  came  down  a 
narrow  divide  and  emptied  into  the  lake,  and 
was  as  large  as  the  one  upon  which  we  had  come. 

Along  down  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake  the  foot- 
hills extended  back  for  eight  miles  to  a  range  of 
mountains  fully  six  thou?"  .d  feet  high.  The  lake 
was  twenty-eight  ♦^lies  long,  but  only  the  upper 
half  was  visible  'iom  our,  camp.  The  upper  half 
was  five  miles  u\  width,  and  the  lower  half  about 
two. 

At  the  rear  of  our  camp,  an  arm  of  the  lake  one- 
half  mile  wide  extended  into  the  mainland  one 
mile.  Beyond  this  were  the  foothills,  which  ran 
back  two  miles  to  another  high  mountain  range. 
Upon  the  little  island  where  we  werf'  camped 
there  were  only  about  twenty-five  tents  besides  our 
own,  the  larger  camp  being  at  the  opposite  end  of 
the  lake. 

The  next  day  we  fastened  three  boats  together, 
and  twelve  men  pulled  them  back  up  the  river. 
This  was  indeed  hard  work,  for  the  current  was 
swift,  and  in  many  places  the  shore  was  obstructed 
with  brush  so  thick  that  it  was  almost  impossible 
to  get  along  at  all.  But  we  kept  on,  and  after 
eighteen  hours  of  hard  pulling  reached  our  cache 


it 


124 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


U 


of  goods,  too  weary  almost  to  rest.  However,  we 
only  stopped  long  enough  to  prepare  and  eat  our 
meal,  when  we  loaded  our  boats,  and  again  set  out 
for  the  lake.  We  got  some  rest,  but  no  sleep,  on 
our  down  trip ;  and  everything  going  well,  we 
reached  the  lake  at  six  o'clock,  having  been  absent 
from  camp  twenty-two  hours. 

The  Eastern  reader  may  wonder  how  we  could 
navigate  such  a  turbulent  stream  in  the  night,  but 
he  needs  only  to  be  reminded  that  there  are  no 
..ights  here  at  all  at  this  season  of  year. 

For  the  last  month  the  mosquitoes  had  been  a 
source  of  great  annoyance  to  us,  but  at  this  time  it 
seemed  that  it  had  reached  a  climax.  They  came 
by  millions,  and  gave  ul  no  rest  night  or  day. 
During  the  summer  months  we  were  obliged  to  go 
about  at  all  times  with  our  heads  incased  in  mos- 
quito netting,  and  long-wristed  mittens  on  our 
hands. 

Occasionally  some  one  would  return  from  the 
Copper  River  and  tell  us  that  we  had  no  mos- 
quitoes at  all,  but  just  to  wait  till  we  got  there, 
and  we  would  know  what  mosquitoes  were.  We 
wondered  h_»w  they  could  be  more  plentiful  any- 
where than  where  we  were,  for  it  was  almost  im- 
possible to  remove  our  masks  long  enough  to  eat. 
These  pests  are  not  so  large  here  as  in  the  States, 


Our  First  Prospecting  Experience      125 


but  what  they  lack  in   size  they  more  than  make 
up  in  numbers  and  viciousness. 

We  were  obliged  to  make  several  trips  up  the 
river,  before  all  our  goods  were  brought  down,  and 
we  were  not  sorry  when  the  last  boat  load  reached 
the  lake.  Almost  every  day  somebody's  boat 
would  be  capsized  along  this  part  of  the  river,  and 
the  goods  scattered  and  lost.  This  was  due,  in  a 
great  measure,  to  a  lack  of  skill  in  managing  the 
boats,  for  it  required  skillful  handling,  together 
with  much  hard  labor  at  the  oars,  to  bring  a  loaded 
boat  down  in  safety.  But  every  day  men  who  had 
never  handled  an  oar  would  start  down  with  an 
overloaded  boat,  and  in  nearly  every  case  these 
were  the  men  who  had  the  accidents,  and  met  the 
losses  of  their  goods. 


CHAPTER  XI 

POOR    CHARLES    KELLEY,  AND    OTHER    UNKNOWN 

UNFORTUNATES 

While  walking  to  and  from  our  work  when  we 
were  building  our  boats,  I  remember  passing  a 
man  at  work  on  a  raft.  Many  days  were  consumed 
upon  this  rude  craft,  only  to  find  in  the  end  that  it 
could  not  be  trusted  to  convey  his  stuff  down  the 
river  to  the  lake.  So  one  day  he  informed  us  that 
he  was  going  to  build  him  a  small  boat.  Moving 
our  camps  below  where  he  worked,  we  saw  him  no 
more.  The  days  lengthened  into  weeks,  and  the 
little  man  and  his  boat  had  been  forgotten.  We 
had  camped  several  days  at  the  lake,  when  one 
day,  as  several  of  us  were  out  in  front  of  our  camp 
beside  the  river,  we  chanced  to  glance  along  up 
the  river,  and  saw  a  small  boat  coming  down, 
bottom  side  up.  Taking  a  boat  hook,  we  waded 
out  some  distance  in  tho  stream,  and  pulled  it 
ashore.  Tipping  it  over,  we  found  half  a  boat  load 
of  goods  under  it.  These  were  placed  upon  the 
bank,  and  the  boat  made  secure.     It  was  a  poor 

excuse  for  a  boat,  and  resembled  one  as  much  as 
.  126  ' 


Poor  Charles  Kelley 


127 


an  ordinary  dry-goods  box.  It  was  built  entirely 
of  slabs  and  short  pieces  of  boards,  and  at  its  best 
must  have  leaked  badly.  We  inquired  through 
the  camp  if  any  one  knew  the  owner  of  the  boat, 
and  finally  ascertained  that  it  belonged  to  the 
little  man  before  mentioned,  whose  name  was 
Kelley. 

A  search  was  instituted  for  his  body,  but  it  was 
unsuccessful.  A  week  later  a  body,  supposed  to 
have  been  his,  was  seen  to  go  through  the  rapids, 
thirty-five  miles  below.  A  miners'  meeting  was 
called,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  take 
charge  of  his  effects  found  in  the  boat,  and  to 
ascertain,  if  possible,  the  address  of  his  relatives, 
and  if  so,  to  dispose  of  the  goods  to  the  best 
possible  advantage,  and  forward  the  proceeds  to 
them. 

All  the  goods  were  looked  through  without  gain- 
ing a  clew  to  his  identity,  until  at  last  we  fonnd, 
tucked  away  in  a  little  bag  containing  needles, 
thread,  and  buttons,  as  if  placed  there  by  his  wife 
or  daughter,  a  small  memoranda,  and  upon  the 
fly-leaf  of  this  little  book,  written  in  a  feminine 
hand,  these  words  :  "  My  name  is  Charles  Kelley, 
was  born  in  1844  ;  height,  5  feet  5  inches  ;  weight, 
165  pounds ;  wear  7^  hat ;  No.  9  shoes,  16-inch 
collar,    16   shirt ;   my   address   is  159  Huntington 


128 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


Avenue,  Providence,   R.   I.     In  case  of  accident, 
notify  Jane  Kelley,  same  address." 

This  explained  the  whole  matter.  And  as  soon 
as  possible  the  goods  were  advertised  to  be  sold 
at  auction  the  next  day  ;  but  they  were  in  such  a 
damaged  condition  from  being  so  long  in  the 
water  that  they  brought  the  small  amount  of  $17. 

A  letter  was  written  to  Mrs.  Kelley,  giving  an 
account  of  bis  death  as  far  as  we  knew  it,  and 
nclosing  the  money,  with  the  names  and  addresses 
of  several  of  the  men  who  had  known  him  on  the 
trail.  This  was  done  in  case  more  proof  of  his 
death  should  ever  be  needed. 

It  was  afterward  learned  that  he  was  seen  pass- 
ing a  camp  ten  miles  up  the  river  only  a  few  hours 
before  we  had  fished  out  his  boat,  by  some  men 
who  knew  him,  and  that  he  remarked  to  them  in 
passing  that  he  had  come  near  being  wrecked  a 
little  way  up  the  stream.  Four  miles  farther  down 
were  several  bad  places,  where  many  better  boats 
than  his  had  been  capsized,  a»id  it  was  evidently 
at  one  of  these  that  Charles  Kelley  found  a  watery 
grave. 

Across  from  our  camp,  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river,  standing  alone  by  themselves,  were  a  tent 
and  a  cache  of  goods,  which  evidently  belonged  to 
three  men.     Everything  inside  the  tent,  and  also 


' 


Poor  Charles  Kelley 


\m 


without,  indicated  that  its  occupants  had  left, 
intending  to  be  absent  but  a  few  days  ;  but  at  the 
time  of  our  leaving  the  place  they  had  been  absent 
ten  weeks,  and  nothing  about  the  premises  had 
been  in  the  least  disturbed.  It  was  our  belief  that 
these  men  had  been  drowned  while  crossing  some 
mountain  stream,  or  had  met  their  fate  in  some 
other  way.  Whether  this  was  true  or  not  we 
never  learned. 


9 


129 


CHAPTER  XII 


CATCHING  SALMON,  AND  RUNNING  FOR  A  CLAIM 


When  we  arrived  at  the  lake,  the  salmon  had 
been  coming  up  the  river  for  some  tim  ind  as  a 
result  the  lake  was  full  of  them,  anc  va»  no 
trouble  to  catch  as  many  of  these  red  beauties  as 
we  desired.  They  would  not  bite  a  hook,  but 
there  was  no  need  to  fish  for  them  with  hooks. 
We  manufactured  hooki.  out  of  spikes,  by  bending 
them  up  and  sharpening  the  points,  and  fastened 
these  to  the  ends  of  polos  from  ^eight  to  twelve 
feet  in  length.  Armed  with  these,  we  would 
stand  upon  the  bank  where  some  clear  stream 
emptied  into  the  river  ;  and  the  fish  swimming  up 
into  the  clear  water  by  the  score,  we  could  then 
hook  them  out  in  large  numbers,  weighing  from 
eight  to  twelve  pounds  each.  These  fish  were 
excellent  eating,  and  were  greatly  relished  after 
eating  bacon  for  so  long.  During  the  summer  we 
used  large  quantities  of  fish,  and  it  proved  a  great 
saving  to  our  stock.  We  also  had  two  spears,  but 
they  proved  too  small  for  such  large  fish  as  these. 
We  had  no  ditHculty  in  striking  them,  but  to  land 


i 


Running  for  a  Claim 


131 


them  into  the  boat  was  quite  another  thing. 


We 


(3 

Z 

X 
I/) 


z 
o 


tried  all  manner  of  schemes  for  catching  these 
fish,  but  aside  from  the  seine  and  the  gill  net,  our 
manufactured  hooks  proved  the  most  effectual.. 

The  Indians'  device  for  catching  them  is  an 
oblong  willow  basket  of  good  size  fastened  to  a 
long  handle.  Standing  on  a  plank,  or  some  other 
object,  a  few  feet  ouc  over  the  water,  they  place 
the  basket  up  the  stream  as  far  as  they  can  reach, 
and  let  the  current  carry  it  ba:k  down  the  length 
of  the  handle,  when  it  is  lifted  out,  and  the  opera- 
tion repeated  ;  the  fish,  always  goings  up  stream 
during  the  early  summer,  run  into  the  basket,  and 
are  caught.  Often  a  score  of  these  fish  are  caught 
in  this  way  in  a  few  hours.  They  then  dress  them, 
and  put  them  on  poles  to  dry.  These  fish,  which 
by  the  way  are  usually  caught  and  dried  by  the 
squaws,  form  a  large  and  important  part  of  the 
Indians'     apply  of  food  for  winter. 

Nearly  every  company  on  the  trail  erected  a 
place  for  smoking  and  drying  salmon,  and  tons  of 
them  were  thus  put  up  for  wint-r  use.  But  the 
white  men  failed  in  curing  their  catch,  though  the 
Indians  had  practiced  it  for  no  one  knows  how 
long  ;  and  before  the  summer  was  past,  car  loads 
of  them  were  spoiled  and  dumped  into  the  river 

We  had   been   camped  by  the   lake   but  a  few 


132 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


weeks  when  it  became  known  that  a  company  of 
men  were  operating  a  sluice-box  in  a  certain  gulch 
some  six  miles  from  our  camp,  and  it  was  reported 
that  they  were  taking  out  gold  ii\,  paying  quanti- 
ties. The  clean-up,  however,  was  always  made 
when  no  one  was  present  but  some  one  directly 
interested  in  the  reported  find,  and  it  was  impos- 
sible to  ascertain  the  amount  of  gold  being 
taken  out. 

Another  rumor  came  floating  around  one  day 
to  the  effect  that  these  men  were  finding  gold  in 
large  quantities,  and  that  the  gulch  was  being 
rapidly  staked  out  into  claims.  This  caused  a 
stampede  from  the  camps.  I  must  confess  that 
we  did  not  have  so  much  confidence  in  the  reports 
as  did  many  others  ;  but  it  would  n't  do  to  take 
any  chances  of  getting  left,  so  some  of  our  fastest 
men,  with  very  light  packs,  joined  in  the  rush,  and 
made  the  race  for  the  gulch,  while  others,  with 
provisions  and  blankets  and  tents,  came  on  at  a 
slower  pace. 

Tne  country  over  which  the  stampede  was  made 
was  covered  with  fallen  timber,  brush,  and  rocks, 
which  made  it  most  difficult  to  get  along  at  all. 
But  our  "runners"  reached  the  spot  in  time  to 
stake  out  three  claims.  We  panned  out  dirt  from 
these  claims  in  several  places,  and  finding  gold  in 


Running  for  a  Claim 


iU 


sufficient  quantities  to  warrant  a  careful  investi- 
gation, and  knowing  that  the  best  way  to  give  it 
a  thorough  test  was  to  build  sluice-boxes,  we 
moved  one  of  our  camps  up  to  this  place,  which 
afterward  became  known  as  "  Robinson's  Gulch," 
and  began  again  the  whip-sawing  of  lumber.  In 
three  days  we  had  forty-three  feet  of  sluice-boxes 
ready  for  use. 

Finding  a  place  where  bed  rock  was  visible  near 
the  bed  of  the  stream,  we  located  our  boxes  there. 
We  followed  the  rock  in,  and  for  eight  days  kept 
the  dill.  >;oing  through  the  box.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  this  tim<  we  had  reacheti  a  low  spot  in  the 
rock,  which  we  thought  v  ould  be  likely  to  con- 
tain a  deposit  of  gold,  if  it  existed  here  at  all  in 
any  quantity.  But  the  ''cleau-up  "  did  not  war- 
rant our  sluicing  any  'onger  at  this  place,  so  we 
abandoned  it,  and  moved  our  camps  back  to  the 
lake. 


ii  I 


:  -      CHAPTER    XIII 

"MORE   COLD   FEET"  —  MINERS   GOING   HOME 

About  this  time  meii  began  to  sell  out,  and  go 
home  in  large  numbers,  and  it  was  no  uncommon 
thing  to  see  from  twelve  to  twenty  men,  earh  with 
a  pack  upon  his  back,  containing  all  that  he  pos- 
sessed in  Alaska,  marching  along  up  the  trail  in 
single  file.  At  first  this  brought  forth  much  com- 
ment, but  it  soon  became  of  such  frequent  occur- 
rence, that  when  a  company  was  seen  going  out, 
all  one  would  hear  would  be,  "  More  cold  feet." 
The  causes  which  carried  so  many  men  out  of 
Alaska  were   varied. 

The  first  to  leave  were  those  who  had  come 
never  dreaming  of  what  they  would  be  compelled 
to  pass  through  ;  and  when  they  came  face  to 
face  with  dangers,  hardships,  and  exposures,  they 
soon  weakened,  and  took  the  first  boat  back  to 
the  States.  Others  had  gone  there  evidently  ex- 
pecting to  fill  sacks  full  of  gold  nuggets  without 
much  hard  work,  and  in  a  few  weeks  be  able  to 
return  to  home  and  friends,  and  spend  the  balance 
of  their  days  enjoying  the  fruits  of  their  holiday 
trip.      But  when  they  found   that  at  every  step  of 

134 


M 


i 


Miners  Going  Home 


135 


the  way  they  must  come  in  contact  with  the 
hardest  kind  of  work  without  being  able  to  get 
any  sort  of  compensation,  and  only  trust  to  luck 
for  ever  getting  any,  they  joined  the  procession 
homeward   bound. 

Others  who  were  anxious  to  remain  would  often 
receive  some  word  from  home,  telling  of  sickness, 
or  distress  of  the  loved  ones  depending  upon  them, 
and  urging  them  to  come  home  quickly.  All  these 
causes  helped  to  swell  the  number  who  were 
going  out.  Another  element  was  homesickness. 
Some  had  it  so  bad  that  no  amount  of  prospects 
for  rapid  wealth  would  have  induced  them  to 
remain.  This  condition  of  things  increased  until 
the '*  home-seekers"  exceeded  the  "gold-seekers." 

So  many  men  going  home,  and  throwing  so 
much  nrovision  and  clothing  upon  the  market,  the 
prices  of  these  articles  soon  ran  down  to  an  ex- 
tremely low  figure.  Flour  was  sold  for  less  than 
it  could  be  bought  for  in  the  States,  after  all  the 
long  and  painful  task  of  tugging  it  in  over  such  a 
trail.  Pork  and  bacon  sold  as  low  as  two  and  three 
cents  per  pound  ;  beans  brought  only  seventy-five 
cents  per  hundred  ;  and  provisions  of  every  kind  in 
about  the  same  proportion. 

Clothing  sufifered  the  greatest  cut,  and  for  two 
months  it  would  not  bring  over  ten  per  cent  of  its 


w 


136 


Go/d  Hunters   in   Alaska 


original  cost.  This  was  a  "  windfall "  for  the 
Indians,  for  they  procured  large  quantities  of  cloth- 
ing, and  were  often  seen  parading  in  the  "white 
man's  togs."  They  also  procured  from  the  fleeing 
miners  a  good  supply  of  the  "  white  man's  eat," 
and  I  have  little  doubt  that  these  red  men  passed 
the  winter  of  1898-99  the  warmest  dressed  and 
fullest  fed  of  any  in  all  their  previous  lives. 

I  should  here  make  mention  of  some  of  the  ber- 
ries, vegetation,  and  flowers  which  grow  in  great 
profusion  in  Alaska.  In  spring,  as  soon  as  the 
snow  leaves  the  valleys,  vegetation  springs  up,  and 
grows  very  rapidly.  Indeed  so  quickly  does  nature 
respond  to  the  warm  rays  of  the  sun,  that  it  was 
not  uncommon  to  see  full-grown  leaves  upon 
bushes  which  were  standing  almost  surrounded 
with   snow. 

In  the  valleys  are  many  lo^y,  marshy  places 
which  during  the  summer  months  develop  a  stout, 
thick  growth  of  marsh  hay  from  three  to  four  feet 
high.  As  soon  as  the  snow  leaves  these  places, 
the  grass  springs  up  quickly,  and  by  the  first  of 
June  a  thousand  horses  could  have  found  good 
pasturage  along  the  little  valley  of  the  Klutina  ; 
and  during  the  month  of  August  large  quantities 
of  this  marsh  hay  were  cut  and  cured,  and  put  up 
by  these  miners  into  stacks,  for  winter  use.     But 


mmmmmmm 


Miners  Going  Home 


137 


;  f 


^i 


when  haying  time  canne,  there  were  no  scythes  in 
this  country  with  which  to  cut  it.  Again  the  old 
adage  proved  true,  "Necessity  is  the  mother  of 
invention."  Several  whip-saws  were  cut  up,  and 
converted  into  scythes ;  and  they  answered  the 
purpose,  even  though  they  did  n't  look  much  like 
what  we  Eastern  people  had  been  accustomed  to 
see  and  use.  They  would  no  doubt  provoke  a 
laugh,  if  offered  as  grass  scythes  at  any  hardware 
store  in  the  States,  and  would  no  doubt  have 
brought  a  good  price  as  curiosities,  i!"  offered  there 
for  sale. 

The  question  is  frequently  asked,  "Can  vegeta- 
bles be  raised  in  Alaska  ? "  My  answer  to  this 
would  bt.  that  it  might  be  possible  to  introduce 
into  this  climate  and  soil  some  varieties  which 
would  grow,  and  under  favorable  conditions  pro- 
duce a  crop  ;  but  I  have  seen  the  attempt  made  to 
raise  peas,  beans,  onions,  cabbage,  corn,  and  let- 
tuce, and  the  result  was  nearly  a  failure.  I  have 
understood,  however,  that  recen*-  attempts  to  grow 
vegetables  in  other  parts  of  Alaska  have  been 
attended  w!th  a  certain  degree  of  success.  But  I 
am  fully  convinced  that  any  attempt  to  turn 
Alaska  into  an  agricultural  State  must  result  in 
failure,  unless  it  should  be  on  the  Pacific  coast. 

Currants  evidently  thrive  in  Alaska,  for  I  have 


H: 


M 


138 


Gold  Hunters  in   Alaska 


seen  in  the  valleys  and  ?long  the  streams  which 
flow  through  the  lowest  foothills,  large  quantities 
of  this  fruit  growing  wild.  In  taste  they  resemble 
those  grown  in  the  States,  and  in  size  equal  those 
grown  under  the  highest  and  most  favorable  culti- 
vation ;  and  we  often  wondered  how  much  larger 
they  would  have  grown  if  thoroughly  cultivated. 
It  seemed  too  bad  to  see  hundreds  of  bushels  of 
this  delicious  fruit  going  to  waste,  and  being  of  no 
use  to  anybody. 

Whortleberries,  which  are  so  common  in  the 
Stater,  are  here  found  growing  in  the  foothills  ; 
but  nowhere  did  I  see  them  in  such  profusion  as  I 
have  in  York  State,  and  they  seemed  to  me  to  be 
of  inferior  quality,  both  in  appearance  and  taste. 

But  there  is  a  round  berry  which,  except  that 
it  is  black,  closely  resembles  the  whortleberry, 
and  grows  upon  a  very  small,  low  bush,  or  vine  ; 
and  this  grows  in  such  abundance  that  I  have  seen 
the  ground  literally  black  for  rods  with  them. 
They  are  exceedingly  juicy,  and  quite  sweet  to 
the  taste.  However,  I  can  not  recall  an  instance 
where  they  were  relished  when  first  eaten.  But 
we  kept  on  tasting  them  until  in  a  little  time  they 
were  eaten  with  decided  relish,  and  we  were  soon 
gathering  them  by  the  bucketful  for  use  in  the 
camps.     We  soon  found  that  they  were  not  alto- 


Miners  Going  Home 


139 


gether  a  luxury,  but  were  very  nutritious  ;  and 
being  so  very  juicy,  they  served  both  as  food  and 
drink.  Often,  while  going  over  the  mountains, 
we  would  halt,  and  while  resting,  gather  and  eat 
some  of  these  berries,  and  find  our  thirst  relieved 
as  quickly  and  effectually  as  could  have  been  done 
at  the  clearest  mountain  stream.  And  often,  when 
out  far  from  camp  on  the  trail,  and  seeking  to  find 
some  stream  before  pitching  our  tents,  our  dinner 
or  supper  hour  would  be  much  delayed ;  and 
becoming  ravenously  hungry,  we  would  stop 
and  eat  a  cup  or  two  of  these  berries,  and  resume 
our  trail  without  further  inconvenience.  When 
stewed  by  themselves  they  have  a  sweet  taste  not 
altogether  pleasant ;  but  when  mixed  half  and 
half  with  currants,  they  make  delicious  sauce 
without  the  aid  of  sugar.  There  are  other  varie- 
ties of  berries  there,  some  of  which  are  dry  and 
tasteless,  and  some  juicy  and  delicious,  but  not  in 
such  great  abundance  as  these. 

It  has  been  said  that  there  were  no  poisonous 
berries  growing  in  Alaska.  How  much  truth 
there  may  be  in  this  statement,  I  can  not  tell,  but 
I  do  know  that  we  ate  of  almost  every  kind  that 
we  saw  growing,  and  experienced  no  ill  effects 
from  our  indulgence. 

There   is   also    an    almost    endless    variety    of 


i^'^X 


r! 


^      M 

1   N 


nil 


140 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


flowers  that  grow  and  thrive  in  this  cold  climate. 
Down  in  the  valley  and  upon  the  foothills,  almost 
as  soon  as  the  snow  disappears,  the  flowers  begin 
to  bloom,  and  from  this  time  until  long  after  the 
frost  appears  in  the  fall,  one  variety  of  flower  after 
another  follows  each  other ;  but  the  climax  is 
reached  in  the  month  of  August,  when  it  may  be 
truthfully  said  that  Alaska  is  a  veritable  flower 
garden. 

Many  times,  when  out  upon  our  prospecting 
tours,  we  would  tramp  mile  after  mile  through  one 
of  Dame  Nature's  flower  beds,  and  often  were  they 
so  thickly  matted  together  as  to  completely  hide 
from  view  the  ground  beneath. 

I  have  often  stood  upon  some  mountain,  and 
looked  away  off  some  ten  or  twelve  miles  to  foot- 
hills which  were  colored  red  by  the  great  profusion 
of  flowers  which  covered  them.  Away  up  in  the 
mountains,  far  above  timber,  and  even  above 
where  bushes  grow,  are  certain  varieties  of  flowers 
and  blooming  mosses  which  are  in  themselves 
things  of  beauty.  For  fragrance,  the  flowers  of 
Alaska  do  not  compare  with  those  in  the  States  ; 
but  for  beauty  of  color,  and  delicacy  of  tint,  they 
lar  surpass  those  grown  in  warmer  climates. 

In  winter,  the  snow  falls  on  the  bushes  so  deep 
that  they  are  bent  and  crushed  to  the  ground,  and 


Miners  Going  Home 


la 


held  there  so  long  that  they  never  resume  their 
natural  shapes  again,  but  are  gnarled  and  scraggy. 
Whenever  a  man  went  out  on  a  prospecting  trip, 
he  was  obliged  to  travel  many  miles  through  this 
brush,  the  limbs  of  which  were  growing  in  every 
direction,  forming  a  network  so  thick  in  many 
places  as  to  make  it  almost  an  impossibility  to  get 
through.  Then  in  pressing  his  way  the  small 
limbs  often  fly  back,  switching  unmercifully  his 
hands,  or  face,  or  eyes  ;  and  then  often,  when  so 
weary  as  almost  to  fall  under  his  pack,  he  might 
trip  his  foot  in  the  matted  network  and  go  head- 
long into  them.  Then,  perhaps,  to  get  around 
some  bad  spot,  he  might  have  to  climb  for  hun- 
dreds of  feet  up  some  place  so  steep  as  to  be  ex- 
ceedingly dangerous  ;  then  descend  into  the  valley 
again,  only  to  be  compelled  to  crawl  upon  a  fallen 
tree  across  some  stream  which  had  become  a  roar- 
ing torrent  by  the  recent  rains  or  the  melting 
snow  on  the  mountains,  where  if  he  should  miss 
his  hold,  he  would  drop  into  a  stream,  the  current 
of  which  is  not  less  than  fifteen  miles  an  hour,  to 
be  hurled  against  rocks  which  always  abound  in 
these  mountain  streams.  And  ail  this  under  the 
murderous  assaults  of  countless  hungry  mosqui- 
toes, which  follow  one  with  whetted  bills  and 
awful  appetites  for  blood,  especially  human  blood, 


1 


142 


Go/d  Hunters   in   Alaska 


I 


in  swarms  outnumbering  anything  known  among 
keepers  of  bees ;  and  this  for  every  hour  in  the 
twenty-four.  No  friendly  shadows  of  night  p  \\. 
these  pests  to  rest  for  a  respite  to  their  victims,  as 
in  the  East,  or  farther  South. 

This  is  but  one  of  the  features  of  mining  experi- 
ences which  met  us  almost  daily  in  our  prospecting, 
and  I  ask  the  reader  if,  in  his  opinion,  it  was  not 
enough  to  try  the  mettle  of  almost  any  man  ?  One 
can  stand  up  against  something  large,  and  figat  \ 
but  think  of  being  constantly  bored  by  the  little 
insects,  and  hounded  by  their  incessant  "  buzz," 
until  it  was  more  to  be  dreaded  than  the  yell  of  a 
panther,  or  the  hissing  of  a  venomous  reptile. 
And  is  it  any  wonder  that  many  became  disheart- 
ened, after  several  such  tramps  in  unsuccessful 
hunts  for  the  precious  metal,  and  made  a  bee  line 
for  home  }    ■  , 

Boating  upon  Lake  Klutina  was  a  pleasant  pas- 
time for  us  all,  whenever  we  had  a  few  hours  of 
leisure  ;  in  fact,  this  was  the  only  place  where  we 
could  get  away  from  the  everlasting  "  skeeters," 
which  were  ahnost  is  omnipresent  as  one's  shadow. 
Only  for  these  pests,  we  should  have  found  some 
pleasure  in  many  of  the  sights  and  experiences 
during  the  summer  months. 

Dr.  Otaway,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  had  brought 


I 


Miners  Going  Home 


143 


into  this  country  a  very  small  steam  launch,  not 
over  fourteen  feet  long,  which  had  a  carrying 
capacity  of  from  four  to  six  men.  And  when  so 
many  began  their  journey  homeward,  the  doctor 
brought  his  little  launch  up  into  the  lake,  and  did 
a  thriving  business  carrying  passengers  ;  and  as 
the  shrill  whistle  of  his  little  steamer  resounded 
from  mountain  to  mountain,  it  seemed  as  if  we 
were  again  back  in  civilization. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


B    I     ■ 

1 1 


A   GRAND   CONCERT  — THE   INDIAN   CHIEF   AND 
THE   PHONOGRAPH 

Among  the  camps  located  on  the  island  were 
several  excellent  singers,  and  it  was  decided  to 
hold  a  concert  in  one  of  the  largest  tents;  so  a 
committee  was  appointed  and  a  program  arranged. 

The  evening  came,  and  it  was  advertised  ;  which, 
by  the  way,  did  n't  take  long,  for  whenever  a  gath- 
ering of  the  miners  in  any  of  the  large  camps  was 
desired,  a  man  would  take  a  cornet,  and  going  to 
the  highest  point  in  the  camp,  give  the  "bugle 
call"  three  times,  and  from  all  parts  of  the  camps 
the  miners  would  gather  to  ascertain  what  was 
going  on.  So  in  this  way  the  concert  was  adver- 
tised, and  very  soon  the  tent  was  filled  to  its 
utmost  capacity.  There  were  such  instruments  as 
the  cornet,  violin,  banjo,  guitar,  piccolo,  accordion, 
and  harp,  and  we  had  no  lack  of  men  who  could 
handle  them  in  splendid  shape. 

The  name  of  our  own  sweet-voiced  singer,  Mr. 
Harry  E.  F.  King,  of  Stamford,  Conn.,  appeared 
often  on  the  program,  and  upon  this  special  even- 

144 


A  Grand  Concert 


145 


ing  he  seemed  at  his  best,  and  he  was  encored 
again  and  again.  He  introduced  the  song,  new  to 
us  at  that  time,  "  On  the  Banks  of  the  Copper, 
Far  Away,"  a  parody  on  "  On  the  Banks  o\ 
the  Wabash."  The  words  of  the  song  are  here 
given  :  — 

"  '  Round  my  cold  Alaska  cabin  lies  the  gold  fields; 

In  the  distance  loom  the  icebergs,  clear  and  cool. 
Oftentimes  my  thoughts  revert  to  scenes  of  childhood. 

And  I  wish  I  were  a  boy  again  at  school. 
But  many  things  are  missing  from  the  picture; 

Without  them  it  seems  quite  incomplete. 
1  long  to  store  my  feet  beneath  the  table, 

And  say  once  more,  '  I  've  had  enough  to  eat.' 

Chorus: — 

"  Oh,  the  air  is  cletar  and  cool  along  the  Copper; 
It 's  the  same  in'January,  June,  and  May. 
Everything  is  not  just  what  the  papers  tell  you, 
On  the  banks  of  the  Copper,  far  away. 

"  Just  one  year  has  passed  since  I  came  to  Alaska, 
Since  I  left  my  darling  sweetheart  Mary's  side; 
But  to  me  it  seems  as  if  it  were  a  million. 

For  from  hunger  several  times  I  've  nearly  died. 
But  I  '11  try  to  make  my  stay  of  short  duration. 
For  I  long  to  see  my  sweetheart,  Mary  dear; 
I  also  long  to  see  my  mother's  larder. 

And  I  'd  relish  once  again  a  glass  of  beer." 
10 


■  1 1 


■■M 


^i: 


i! 


\\\it 


t  ; 


146 


Gold  Hunters  in   Alaska 


The  entire  evening  was  greatly  enjoyed  by  all 
present,  and  will  be  looked  back  to  in  after  years 
as  one  of  the  bright  spots  among  so  many  dark 
and  gloomy  hours  which  made  up  the  greater  part 
of  the  time  in  these  men's  heroic  struggle  after 
gold.  Much  has  been  said  since  the  war  with 
Spain  began  about  heroic  sacrifice,  and  braving 
danger,  all  of  which  is  doubtless  true  ;  but  after 
the  months  passed  on  this  Alaskan  campaign,  and 
seeing  what  I  have  seen,  I  can  not  think  that  our 
army  and  navy  have  given  to  the  world  any 
higher  types  of  heroes — though  they  have  been 
by  their  association  rendered  more  conspicu- 
'ous  —  than  were  developed  in  the  wilds  of  Alaskan 
forests,  or  over  Alaskan  ice  mountains. 

A  restaurant  was  opened  on  the  island,  and  for 
two  months,  while  so  many  were  on  their  way 
back  to  the  States,  did  a  thriving  business.  It  was 
a  great  resort  for  the  boys,  for  the  keeper  had  a 
phonograph  with  a  large  selection  of  records,  both 
vocal  and  instrumental. 

One  day  Stickwon. —  the  chief  of  the  Stick  In- 
dians.—  with  his  entire  family,  consisting  of  him- 
self and  wife  and  three  children  (a  son  twenty-one 
years  old,  a  daughter  of  eighteen,  and  a  little  boy 
of  five),  was  on  a  hunting  expedition  to  the  head 
waters  of  the  Klutina  River,  and  had  stopped  off 


o 

X 

m 
■n 

H 

n 

7. 

o 

z 


X 

o 
c 
</) 
m 


o 

I 

m 


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o 

z 
v> 

I 
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(/) 
n 


ijl 


- 


1 


"I 


A  Grand  Concert 


147 


a  few  C\y%  at  the  island  to  visit  the  white  peo- 
ple. They  had  killed  four  caribou  on  their  way 
up  from  Copper  River,  and  so  were  well  supplied 
with  fresh  meat,  a  part  of  which  they  traded  with 
the  miners  for  "muck-muck,"  which  is  their  name 
for  all  kinds  of  provisions. 

One  afternoon  Stickwon  and  his  family  called  at 
this  restaurant,  and  being  of  an  inquisitive  nature, 
as  all  these  Indians  are,  and  looking  about  the 
place  to  see  what  was  to  be  seen,  came  across  the 
phonograph,  and  began  to  examine  it   curiously. 

The  proprietor  of  the  place,  noticing  this,  de- 
cided to  give  his  distinguished  visitor  a  treat ;  so 
calling  the  entire  family,  and  ranging  them  around 
the  machine,  he  put  into  it  a  record  of  a  stump 
speech.  Then  placing  the  rubber  tubes  in  their 
ears,  started  it  going.  They  all  listened  atten- 
tively, and  before  it  was  half  through,  there  was  a 
look  of  merriment  on  the  face  of  the  old  chief. 
As  soon  as  the  speech  was  ended,  he  dropped  the 
tubes  and  fairly  danced  about  the  place  with  de- 
light, saying  :  "  Good  !  Good  !  Good  !"  Then  turn- 
ing to  the  proprietor,  he  pointed  to  the  phono- 
graph and  said,  "  How  much?" 

The  proprietor,  wishing  to  have  some  fun  with 
him,  pointed  to  his  daughter,  and  then  at  the  in- 
strument, and  said.  "Trade.     All  same." 


148 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


li  4  i 


A  serious  expression  came  over  the  Indian's 
face,  as  he  looked  first  at  his  daughter,  and  then 
at  the  machine,  then  at  his  daughter  again.  The 
restaurant  keeper  began  to  feel  uneasy,  for  he  saw 
that  the  Indian  was  seriously  considering  his  pro- 
posed trade,  and  before  the  chief  had  time  to 
make  up  his  mind,  the  man  said,  "No  sell.  No 
sell." 

A  look  of  disappointment  seemed  to  come  over 
his  face  when  he  found  the  phonograph  was  not 
for  sale. 

In  speaking  of  the  matter  afterward,  the  pro- 
prietor said  that  he  was  greatly  frightened  for  fear 
the  chief  would  take  him  up  at  his  offer,  and  then 
added  that  he  could  understand  what  the  phono- 
graph said,  but  not  so  with  the  Indian  girl. 

Chief  Stickwon's  son  was  considered  the  best 
hunter  and  surest  shot  of  any  one  in  the  entire 
Stick  tribe.  Next  day  after  leaving  our  camp  he 
demonstrated  his  title  to  the  claim  of  being  a 
crack  hunter  and  shot.  He  was  climbing  up  the 
mountain  in  front  of  our  camp  in  search  of  moun- 
tain sheep,  when,  upon  reaching  an  elevation  of 
about  four  thousand  feet,  he  came  upon  four  of 
these  animals  a  hundred  yards  or  more  away. 
The  frightened  sheep  started  up  the  mountain 
side,  leaping  from  rock  to  rock,  as  only  a  moun- 


A  Grand  Concert 


149 


tain  sheep  can,  when  with  a  coolness  that  was  re- 
markable, he  raised  his  trusty  Winchester,  and 
gave  them  four  shots  in  quick  succession,  and  the 
four  sheep  fell  dead,  every  one  of  them  shot 
through  the  head.  This  was  said  to  have  been 
only  one  of  the  many  instances  which  proved  the 
wonderful  skill  of  this  dusky  hunter  in  the  use  of 
the  rifle. 

The  little  five-year-old  son  of  the  chief  was  very 
small  of  his  age,  and  attracted  much  attention  as 
he  went  about  by  himself  visiting  the  various 
camps,  and  examining  curiously  everything  be- 
longing to  the  white  man. 

One  day  while  at  our  camp,  one  of  our  boys,  in 
a  playful  mood,  jumpec^  at  him,  and  spatted  his 
hands.  A  frown  came  over  the  little  fellow's  face 
as  he  jumped  back  a  few  feet,  and  drawing  at  the 
same  time  a  little  knife,  he  assumed  the  attitude 
of  a  duelist,  as  if  defying  any  one  to  come  near 
him  again.  In  this  position  he  backed  out  of  the 
camp,  and  then  ran  to  their  own. 

The  rifle  and  knife  are  the  only  weapons  used 
by  these  people,  and  it  became  evident  that  they 
were  taught  their  use  at  a  very  early  age. 


I 


CHAPTER  XV 


A  RACE   FOR  CLAIMS 

About  the  first  of  August  it  became  evident  by 
the  whisperings  about  camp,  that  a  "  strike  "  had 
been  made  somewhere  in  the  mountains,  and  that 
an  effort  was  being  made  by  the  discoverers  — 
which,  by  the  way,  was  no  more  than  natural  —  to 
get  all  their  friends  favorably  located  before  it 
became  generally  known. 

Men  who  were  known  to  have  been  in  the  camp 
at  night,  would  in  the  early  morning  hours  be  miss- 
ing, and  it  was  no  more  than  reasonable  to  sup- 
pose that  they  had  been  given  a  "tip,"  and  that 
under  the  cover  of  night  they  had  shouldered 
their  packs,  and  departed  for  the  new  strike. 

Two  weeks  before  this  time  a  party  of  our  boys 
had  gone  out  upon  a  prospecting  trip  in  the  same 
direction  in  which  it  was  thought  the  new  strike 
had  been  made,  and  a  week  later  another  party 
from  our  company  had  left  upon  a  trip  in  the  same 
direction  I  expected  to  have  formed  one  of  this 
party,  but  was  taken  ill  the  day  before  they  were 
to  leave,  and  so  was  left  behind. 

150 


A  Race  for  Claims 


151 


Two  or  three  days  passed  without  hearing  any- 
thing definite  about  the  nevy  strike.  I  had  recov- 
ered from  my  illness,  and  was  planning  a  relief 
expedition  to  the  first  company  that  had  gone  out 
from  us  (for  I  knew  they  must  be  getting  short  of 
provisions),  when  a  courier  arrived  with  a  note 
from  one  of  this  party,  saying  that  they  had 
headed  off  the  strike,  and  believed  they  were  near 
it,  and  asked  that  provisions  be  sent  over  the 
mountains  to  them. 

The  next  morning  I  was  up  early,  and  taking 
two  men  with  me  we  set  out  on  a  thirty-five-mile 
trip,  each  with  a  sixty-pound  pack.  All  the  fore- 
noon we  climbed  on  up  the  mountain,  through 
brush  and  over  logs  and  rocks,  until  at  noon  we 
reached  the  summit  of  the  narrow  divide,  where 
we  were  to  begin  the  descent  into  the  valley 
beyond. 

Here  we  came  to  a  beautiful  little  lake,  nestled 
close  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  which  rose  al- 
most perpendicular  from  its  shores  to  a  height  of 
many  thousand  feet.  This  lake  is  the  dividing 
point,  and  from  it  the  water  flows  in  both  direc- 
tions. We  rested  here  only  long  enough  to  eat 
our  lunch,  and  then  began  the  descent  into  a  val- 
ley which  we  had  never  seen  before. 

For  the  first  two  miles  the  divide  was  so  narrow 


ii  ■    ! 


?f  I 


V  1  I 


w 

III 

i  ■,(.■'' 


is 


152 


Gold  Hunters  in   Alaska 


that  it  might  justly  have  been  called  a  caflon,  and 
for  almost  its  entire  length  there  were  fine  blocks 
of  stone  which  year  after  year  had  been  torn  loose 
by  snow  slides  and  carried  down  the  mountains, 
until  there  were  enough  stones  already  quarried 
out  and  piled  along  this  narrow  divide  to  have 
walled  a  city. 

Soon  we  came  out  of  this  into  the  most  beauti- 
ful valley  that  I  saw  in  all  my  travels  in  Alaska. 
It  was  two  miles  in  extent,  and  covered  from 
mountain  to  mountain  with  a  network  of  brush. 
Through  it  flowed  a  clear  stream,  well  stocked 
with  mountain  trout. 

Looking  away  to  the  head  of  this  valley,  twelve 
or  fifteen  miles  distant,  several  glaciers  were  in 
plain  view.  Looking  down  the  valley  ten  miles, 
we  saw  several  hundred  acres  which  were  thinly 
covered  with  timber,  and  at  this  point  a  narrow 
valley  could  be  seen  winding  through  the  moun- 
tains in  the  direction  of  Tonsena  Lake,  where, 
upon  one  of  its  tributaries,  we  expected  to  find 
our  boys. 

We  must  reach  timber  before  camping  for  the 
night,  but  to  do  this  we  were  obliged  to  push  on 
as  rapidly  as  possible,  down  through  the  brush 
which  covered  the  valley.  There  was  an  old 
Indian  trail   a   part   of  the   way,  which  helped  us 


I 


A  Race  for  Claims 


153 


1^:: 


wonderfully,  though  in  many  places  the  bushes 
had  grown  over  it  so  thickly  that  no  trace  of  it 
was  visible. 

About  seven  o'clock  at  night  we  reached  first 
timber,  and  were  so  tired  that  it  seemed  impossi- 
ble to  go  farther.  We  noticed  that  a  rainstorm 
was  brewing,  so  we  selected  a  spot  as  well  shel- 
tered from  the  wind  as  possible,  made  a  fire,  and 
prepared  supper.  After  supper  we  sat  around  the 
camp-fire  and  chatted  until  nine  o'clock,  when  we 
turned  into  our  sleeping  bags,  and  were  soon  fast 
asleep. 

How  long  I  slept  I  do  not  know,  but  think  it 
was  nearly  midnight  when  I  awoke,  and  the  rain 
was  coming  down  in  torrents.  In  my  sleep  I  had 
opened  the  flap  of  my  sleeping  bag,  and  fully  a 
gallon  of  water  had  run  down  inside  of  it.  It 
was  n't  just  the  nicest  place  to  sleep,  partly  under 
water  ;  but  it  would  be  no  improvement  to  get  up 
in  the  drenching  rain  to  empty  out,  so  I  arranged 
my  sleeping  bag  to  the  best  advantage,  and  lay 
until  morning.  There  was  no  need  to  call  me  in 
the  morning,  for  I  was  out  early  ;  and  emptying 
the  water  out  of  my  bed,  I  rolled  it  up  ready  to 
march. 

The  rain  continued,  and  the  wood  had  become 
so  thoroughly  soaked  that  it  was  only  after  several 


I: 


y 


154 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


■  I 


unsuccessful  attempts  that  a  fire  was  started,  and 
our  breakfast  prepared. 

After  breakfast,  though  the  rain  still  continued, 
we  shouldered  our  packs,  which  were  rendered 
much  heavier  by  being  so  thoroughly  soaked  with 
water,  and  started  across  the  valley  toward  the 
narrow  divide  in  the  direction  of  Tonsena  Lake. 
If  there  was  a  dry  thread  in  our  clothing  when  we 
started,  it  did  n't  remain  dry  long,  for  the  whole 
valley  was  covered  with  rain-soaked  brush,  which 
reached  to  our  heads  or  above,  and  so  thick  that 
with  our  best  efforts  we  were  three  hours  making 
the  first  two  miles. 

As  we  reached  the  opposite  side,  and  entered 
the  narrow  valley,  we  came  upon  two  little  lakes, 
half  a  mile  apart,  one  containing  twenty  and  the 
other  about  fifty  acres.  These  beautiful  little 
bodies  of  water  were  upon  the  top  of  another  di- 
vide, and  their  waters  ran  in  opposite  directions. 

Passing  these  lakes,  we  passed  down  a  small, 
clear  stream,  the  outlet  of  the  larger  one.  We  were 
surprised  to  see  thousands  of  mountain  trout  flop- 
ping about  in  the  little  brook,  which  was  only  a 
few  inches  deep.  We  shot  several  of  the  larger 
ones,  and  determined  that  at  our  next  visit, —  if 
we  should  make  one, —  we  would  bring  along  our 
fishing  tackle,  and  see  what  we  could  do. 


A  Race  for  Claims 


155 


At  the  lake  we  came  upon  an  old  Indian  trail 
which  had  evidently  been  used  in  former  years 
in  going  over  from  Copper  River  to  Tonsena 
Lake.  This  we  followed  for  several  miles,  until  it 
ceased  to  go  in  the  direction  we  wished  to  travel, 
when  we  left  it  again,  and  took  to  the  brush. 
Scarcely  had  we  left  the  trail  when  we  met  five 
men.  They  had  been  in  this  vicinity  for  several 
days,  and  had  found  the  stream  upon  which  the 
strike  was  made,  staked  their  claims,  and  were  on 
their  way  out  to  camp. 

They  told  us  where  the  stream  was,  but  gave 
us  very  little  information  concerning  it,  only  that 
they  thought  the  claims  were  about  all  taken. 
They  also  told  us  they  had  seen  the  party  to 
whom  we  were  taking  supplies,  two  days  before, 
and  that  they  had  crossed  over  to  the  head  waters 
of  Tonsena  Lake. 

This  was  a  surprise  to  us,  that  they  should  have 
gone  so  far  away.  We  afterward  learned  that 
they  had  been  informed  about  the  strike,  but  their 
informant  had  either  made  a  mistake,  or  they  had 
misunderstood  him,  and  they  received  the  im- 
pression that  it  was  upon  a  stream  emptying  into 
the  head  of  the  lake,  instead  of  the  foot,  and  so 
had  gone  over  there. 

The  little  stream  down  which  we    v/ere    going 


I' 


166 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


m 


emptied  into  the  one  upon  which  the  strike  had 
been  made,  but  we  were  several  miles  from  it. 
We  knew  that  the  last  party  of  our  boys,  which 
had  left  camp  the  week  before,  was  somewhere  in 
this  part  of  the  country,  and  we  pushed  on  hoping 
that  in  the  early  afternoon  we  might  find  them  ; 
but  if  not,  that  we  might  yet  be  in  time  to  get 
claims. 

The  rain,  which  had  been  steadily  falling  all  the 
morning,  had  ceased,  and  the  sun  came  out ;  and 
the  mosquitoes  came  too.  They  had  given  us  a 
rest  during  the  storm,  for  they  can  not  get  in  their 
work  during  a  hard  rain  ;  but  they  were  here  in 
full  force  now,  and,  seemingly  intent  on  making 
amends  for  lost  time,  they  succeeded  in  making 
it  very  interesting  for  us  the  remainder  of  the  day. 

Speaking  of  mosquitoes,  it  was  reported,  on  what 
seemed  good  authority,  that  upon  one  of  these 
prospecting  trips,  some  miners  had  come  upon 
the  dead  and  swollen  bodies  of  four  men.  It  was 
believed,  from  what  could  be  ascertained,  that 
they  had  lost  their  helmets  by  having  them  torn  in 
passing  through  the  brush,  and  having  no  material 
to  replace  them,  had  fallen  victims  to  the  rapacity 
of  these  hordes  of  merciless  blood-suckers,  and 
been  actually  poisoned  to  death. 

The  noon   hour  had   arrived  when  we  reached 


A  Race  for  Claims 


157 


the  top  of  a  steep  bank,  down  which  we  must 
descend  a  thousand  feet  or  more  to  reach  the  bed 
of  the  stream.  We  had  sat  down  for  a  few 
moments  of  rest,  when  we  heard  the  cracking  of 
brush  below  us,  and  looking  down,  we  saw  what 
we  supposed  to  be  two  men  climbing  up  through 
the  thick  brush  toward  us  ;  but  on  their  coming 
up  to  us,  we  found  that  one  was  a  woman  dressed 
in  male  attire.  They  were  a  man  and  his  wife 
who  were  camped  near  us  on  the  island,  and 
had  been  down  on  the  creek  staking  claims. 
They  informed  us  that  only  a  few  hours  before 
they  had  parted  with  five  men  belonging  to 
our  company,  and  thai;  they  had  also  staked 
claims,  and  were  then  camped  three  miles  down 
the  creek.  This  was  welcome  news  to  us,  but  they 
told  us  also  that  the  trail  leading  down  to  where 
they  were  camped  was  something  terrible. 

We  had  now  heard  definitely  from  both  our 
parties,  and  expected  to  have  no  difficulty  in  find- 
ing them.  Clinging  to  bush  and  rock,  we  climbed 
down  to  the  bed  of  the  creek,  where  we  saw  a 
stake  upon  which  was  written,  "  Discovery  Claim." 
The  stream  was  too  deep  to  ford,  and  the  water 
was  rushing  toward  the  lake  at  the  rate  of  twelve 
miles  an  hour,  dashing  itself  into  foarn  upon  the 
rocks  which  everywhere  lined  the  stream. 


"  J  -I 


I  ^1 


Ml..    I  I 


r 


no 

f 


158 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


We  only  halted  at  "  Discovery  Claim"  long 
enough  to  make  and  drink  some  coffee,  when  we 
shouldered  our  packs,  and  resumed  our  march 
down  the  stream.  We  had  not  proceeded  far 
when  we  reached  a  point  where  the  current  of  the 
stream  came  in  close  to  the  foot  of  a  perper  I'Lular 
wall  of  rock  fully  five  hundred  feet  high,  and  the 
only  way  we  could  get  below  was  to  retrace  our 
steps  for  some  distance,  climb  up  the  steep  moun- 
tain side  to  the  top,  and  make  the  descent  again  to 
the  valley  below  it. 

I  shall  not  soon  forget  my  experience  in  passing 
this  spot.  I  had  reached  a  point  perhaps  four 
hundred  feet  up  from  the  creek  bed,  when  I 
thought  I  could  climb  around  the  rocks  to  a  place 
where  I  could  begin  the  descent ;  this,  if  it  could 
be  done,  would  save  me  a  climb  of  several  hundred 
feet  both  up  and  down,  and  I  had  reached  the 
most  difficult  part  of  it,  when  the  rock,  which  was 
of  a  shelly  character,  began  to  crumble  from 
under  my  feet.  I  clung  to  the  rocks  above  me  as 
best  I  could,  but  their  crumbly  nature  made  them 
very  unreliable.  I  gave  one  glance  downward, 
and  there,  hundreds  of  feet  below  were  the  rush- 
ing waters,  into  which  I  must  certainly  fall  if  I 
once  got  started.  I  thought  to  loosen  my  pack, 
and  let  it  drop  into  the  stream  below,  to  lighten 


1 


A  Race  for  Claims 


159 


the  burden  on  the  shelly  rocks,  and  relieve  me  of 
its  unwieldy  proportions  in  such  a  tight  place  as 
this  ;  but  I  could  not  let  go  my  hold  to  unbuckle 
the  straps.  To  go  further  I  could  not,  and  it 
seemed  almost  as  difficult  to  get  back ;  but  I 
plainly  saw  that  was  my  only  chance,  so  I  began 
working  my  feet  along  a  few  inches  at  a  time, 
expecting  every  moment  that  the  shelly  rocks 
under  me  would  give  way,  and  precipitate  me  into 
the  mad  waters  below.  Little  by  little  I  re- 
treated from  my  perilous  position,  and  reached  a 
place  of  safety,  so  weal:  from  the  great  strain  upon 
my  nerves  that  I  could  scarcely  stand  up  under 
my  pack. 

After  a  bri^-f  rest  I  followed  my  companions, 
who  had  climbed  higher  up  to  a  place  where  the 
mountain  was  not  so  steep,  and  we  reached  the 
valley  again  in  safety.  To  pass  such  places  as 
this  with  heavy  packs  taxed  one's  strength  to  its 
utmost,  and  keeps  the  nerves  under  a  fearful 
tension. 

I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  in  detail  the  bal- 
ance of  our  trip  over  this  three  miles,  but  four  dif- 
ferent times  we  were  obliged  to  climb  the  high 
mountain  to  get  around  some  rock  which  projected 
out  into  the  stream,  and  it  was  four  o'clock  when 
we  came  in  sight  of  our  boys'  camp. 


I', 


i 


;■ 


W^ 

M ' 

1 

i^"! 

'1    :      j  '.  ( 

ill; 

iPl> 

160 


Go/d  Hunters  in  Alaska. 


They  had  been  out  sinking  some  holes  to  test 
the  claims  which  they  had  staked  out  the  day 
before,  and  had  but  recently  returned  to  camp, 
and  were  just  preparing  their  dinner.  One  who 
has  never  been  separated  from  home  and  friends, 
and  in  such  an  isolated  country  as  this,  can  never 
tell  our  feelings  as  we  emerged  from  the  bushes, 
and  saw  only  a  few  rods  distant  from  us  this,  to 
us,  homelike  scene.  We  were  ravenously  hungry, 
and  there  before  us  were  skillets  of  frying  bacon, 
and  stacks  of  steaming  "flapjacks,"  and  buckets  of 
hot  coffee.  We  were  so  fatigued  that  we  could 
scarcely  drag  one  foot  after  the  other,  and  here 
was  a  roaring  camp  fire,  where  we  could  dry  our 
soaked  sleeping  bags  and  clothing,  and  plenty 
of  spruce  boughs  to  make  us  a  good  soft  bed 
on  which  to  sleep. 

When  the  boys  saw  us  come  out  of  the  brush, 
they  left  their  seats  by  the  camp  fire,  and  rushing 
up,  shook  us  by  the  hands  so  heartily  that  a 
looker-on  might  have  supi.>osed  that  we  were 
fcrotbers  who  had  been  separated  for  long  years, 
insLead  of  only  one  short  week.  We  sat  around 
the  fire,  and  recounted  to  each  other  the  various 
experiences  of  the  past  week,  until  late  in  the 
evening. 

They  were    camped   two    miles    from    Tonsena 


33 

o 

to 

m 
o 

-( 
o 

73 


o 

•D 

Z 
Q) 

-n 
O 

3D 
O 

z 


?i- 


A  Race  for  Claims 


161 


Lake,  upon  a  creek  which  emptied  into  the  lake 
one-half  mile  from  its  foot,  and  which  had  been 
staked  along  its  whole  length  to  the  marshy  ap- 
proaches to  the  lake.  I  determined  to  visit  the 
head  waters  of  this  creek,  and  if  possible  get 
claims  there  ;  but  before  doing  so  we  must  find 
our  other  party,  which  we  knew  by  this  time  must 
be  nearly  out  of  provision.  We  expected  they 
were  near  the  head  waters  of  the  lake  somewhere, 
and  might  possibly  be  camped  on  its  shore.  So 
in  the  morning  we  went  down  where  we  could  get 
a  view  up  the  lake  for  fifteen  miles,  believing  that 
if  they  were  upon  its  shore,  we  could  see  them,  as 
they  had  a  small  tent  with  them.  And  about  ten 
miles  up  the  lake  we  could  plainly  see  a  small  tent, 
close  to  th«  mouth  of  a  guJch.  We  felt  sure  that 
this  camp  belonged  to  our  boys,  and  tried  to  at- 
tract their  attention.  We  made  a  large  fire  on  the 
beach,  and  also  set  on  fire  the  tops  of  several  large 
spruce  trees,  which  flamed  up  a  hundred  feet  or 
more  into  the  air. 

We  waited  some  time,  but  they  gave  us  no  sign 
that  they  had  seen  our  signal  fires,  and  we  thought 
the  surest  way  would  be  to  send  some  men  to 
their  camp.  This  we  knew  would  be  a  hard  trip, 
for  the  shore  of  the  lake  was  marshy,  and  covered 
with  a  dense  growth  of  brush,  through  which  those 
11 


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Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska, 


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who  went  must  push  their  way,  accompanied  by 
clouds  of  mosquitoes,  the  like  of  which  we  had  not 
seen  before. 

Not  wishing  to  select  any  one  myself  to  make 
the  trip,  I  called  for  volunteers,  and  two  men 
agreed  to  go.  It  is  worthy  of  mention  that  during 
all  the  seven  months  in  which  I  was  superintend- 
ent of  the  company  there  was  never  a  task  to 
perform  which  was  accompanied  with  extreme 
danger,  or  a  trip  to  make  which  must  bring  to 
those  who  made  it  great  fatigue  and  exposure, 
that  there  were  not  more  men  volunteered  to  do 
it  than  were  required  for  the  work. 

On  the  .shores  of  the  lake,  near  where  we  had 
made  our  signal  fires  were  the  remains  of  several 
log  buildings.  They  had  been  built  long  years 
before,  but  their  surroundings  gave  evidence  of 
having  been  occupied  not  many  years  ago.  The 
larger  portion  of  them  had  been  burned,  and  those 
which  had  escaped  the  fire  had  been  so  completely 
torn  down  that  scarcely  one  log  was  left  upon 
another. 

In  one  corner  of  what  had  been  the  larger  build- 
ing were  several  tons  of  quartz,  which  was  broken 
up  fine,  and  had  evidently  been  exposed  to  ex- 
treme heat.  We  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
whoever  had  occupied  these  buildings  had  found  a 


li 


A  Race  for  Claims 


163 


quartz  ledge  containing  gold  somewhere  in  the 
mountains  near  by,  and  that  they  had  taken 
it  to  this  building  and  put  it  through  a  miniature 
smelter  to  extract  the  gold. 

Who  it  was  that  had  occupied  them  we  never 
knew,  but  scattered  around  the  yard,  which  was 
covered  with  grass  four  feet  high,  were  the  re- 
mains of  several  varieties  of  birch  bark  baskets, 
and  also  hats  made  from  the  same  material.  This 
was  evidently  the  work  of  Indians,  and  many  of 
the  stumps  in  the  cleared  space  about  the  build- 
ings, from  which  the  trees  had  been  taken  to  build 
them,  gave  evidence  of  having  been  cut  by  In- 
dians, while  others  were  the  work  of  white  men. 

It  might  be  well  to  tell  the  reader  how  we  could 
tell  whether  a  tree  had  been  cut  by  a  white  man  or 
by  an  Indian.  It  was  in  this  way  :  a  white  man 
cuts  a  tree  on  two  sides  only,  while  an  Indian  cuts 
it  all  around.  We  thought  the  work  had  been 
mostly  done  by  Indians  under  the  direction  of 
white  men,  but  why  the  buildings  had  been  so 
completely  destroyed  was  always  a  mystery  to  us. 

After  our  two  men  had  departed  on  their  trip 
down  the  lake,  and  we  had  thoroughly  inspected 
the  site  of  the  old  buildings  before  mentioned, 
we  returned  to  our  camp  to  await  their  return, 
which  we  expected  would  be  about  noon  next  day. 


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164 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


It  was  past  two  o'clock  when  we  saw  them  com- 
ing. We  had  prepared  for  them  a  sumptuous  din- 
ner, and  they  were  in  condition  to  enjoy  it,  for 
they  had  been  on  short  rations  for  two  days. 
The  remainder  of  the  day  and  evening  was  spent 
in  relating  the  adventures  of  the  past  two  weeks, 
and  in  making  plans  for  the  future. 

It  was  decided  that  those  who  had  already 
staked  their  claims  should  return  to  the  island, 
leaving  all  their  provisions  with  those  who  stayed, 
except  enough  to  last  them  back  to  camp.  Those 
who  had  not  staked  were  to  go  to  the  head  waters 
of  the  creek,  and  if  possible  get  claims. 

So  after  an  early  breakfast,  and  bidding  our  five 
men  who  were  to  return  to  the  lake  good-by,  we 
set  out  up  the  stream.  The  trail  upon  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  stream  was  said  to  be  the  best,  but 
to  get  across  the  swift  current  was  no  easy  task. 
We  were  determined  to  make  the  attempt,  how- 
ever, so  going  some  distance  up,  we  found  a  place 
where  a  tree  could  be  felled  to  reach  across.  It 
took  us  some  time  to  chop  it  down  with  our  hatch- 
ets, but  we  soon  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the 
stream  spanned.  The  stream  at  this  point  was 
not  more  than  thirty  feet  across,  but  was  very 
deep,  and  ran  at  a  tremendous  rate. 

If  any  one  thinks  that  to  cross  a  stream  like  this 


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A  Race  for  Claivis 


16ft 


on  a  springing  sapling,  with  a  seventy-five-pound 
pack  on  his  back,  is  not  a  difficult  thing  to  do,  he 
has  something  yet  to  learn.  It  can  be  done,  and 
we  did  it ;  but  the  first  man  over  came  near  fall- 
ing off  into  the  water,  and  reached  the  opposite 
bank  so  frightened  that  it  took  him  some  time  to 
recover  his  nerve.  After  this  we  cut  a  long  pole, 
and  while  a  man  was  crossing,  two  others  stood  a 
little  way  below  holding  it  down  to  the  water,  so 
that  in  case  he  should  fall  he  would  stand  some 
show  of  being  rescued.  We  had  all  succeeded  in 
crossing  safely  but  one  man,  who  was  not  a  mem- 
ber of  our  company,  but  was  accompanying  us, 
and  he  said  that  no  prospect  for  gold,  be  it  ever 
so  good,  could  induce  him  to  place  his  life  in 
such  peril.  So  he  left  us,  and  returned  to  his 
camp  at  the  island. 

~  We  followed  up  the  stream  until  we  reached 
"  Discovery  Claim."  Above  this,  for  two  miles, 
the  stream  flowed  through  a  narrow  rocky  canon, 
the  walls  of  which  were  thousands  of  feet  high, 
and  to  get  up  the  stream  from  where  we  were, 
it  was  necessary  to  climb  over  the  top  of  these 
mountains,  and  come  down  again  into  the  valley 
above  the  canon.  It  looked  like  an  almost  im- 
possible task,  weighted  down  as  we  were  with 
heavy  packs  ;  but  there  was  no  other  way,  so  we 


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Gold  Hunters  in   Alaska 


began  the  ascent.  Often  we  were  obliged  to  sit 
down  and  rest ;  then  would  go  on  ud  an  incline  so 
steep  that  to  look  back  would  almost  make  one 
dizzy.  *  After  nearly  two  hours  of  such  climbing 
we  reached  the  top,  and  took  time  to  rest.  From 
this  lofty  point  we  had  a  fine  view  of  the  surround- 
ing country.  Down  the  valley  of  the  Tonsena  we 
could  look  away  beyond  the  Copper  River,  fully 
eighty  miles  distant,  to  where  could  be  plainly 
seen  the  snow-capped  peaks  of  Mounts  Tillman 
and  Blackburn. 

But  we  had  little  time  to  devote  to  scenery  now 
so  we  continued  our  journey,  following  along  the 
crest  of  the  mountain  until  we  came  to  a  point 
where  we  could  make  the  descent,  which  we  did 
without  mishap.  Upon  reaching  the  stream  again, 
we  saw  that  it  had  been  staked  ;  so  we  continued 
on  up  for  three  miles,  where  night  overtook  us, 
and  we  struck  camp. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


EXPERIENCE  WITH  ALASKAN  BEARS 


While  following  the  creek,  we  saw  in  the  sand 
some  of  the  largest  bear  tracks  we  had  ever  seen. 
It  seemed  to  us  almost  impossible  that  there  could 
be  bears  in  this  country  large  enough  to  have 
made  these  enormous  tracks.  But  here  they  were 
in  plain  sight.  We  measured  some  of  them,  which 
were  eight  inches  in  width  and  sixteen  inches 
long.  Some  of  the  boys  said  that  if  bears  grew  to 
such  a  size  as  these  tracks  indicated,  they  had  n't 
lost  any,  and  were  not  locking  for  any. 

We  had  gone  into  camp  above  where  the  creek 
had  been  staked,  but  just  how  far  we  did  not 
know,  for  it  had  become  dark.  So  we  made  a 
large  camp  fire,  prepared  supper,  and  went  early 
to  bed.  In  the  morning  wc  were  up  early,  and 
leaving  one  man  to  get  breakfast,  started  out  to 
find  the  last  claim  which  h?d  been  staked,  and 
then  to  put  down  our  own  stakes.  During  this 
trip  this  incident  occurred  : — 

Two  days  before,  when  we  reached  camp  near 
the  foot  of  Tonsena  Lake,  there  was  in  company 
with    us   a   young   Irishman,    whom    I    will    call 

167 


168 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


Tommy.  He  was  a  persistent  prospector,  and 
had  been  with  us  on  more  than  one  long  tramp, 
but  as  yet  he  had  never  had  an  occasion  to  put 
down  any  stakes.  He  had  talked  much  about  the 
new  strike,  and  seemed  anxious  to  get  there  and 
stake  him  out  a  claim.  But  we  had  reached  the 
camp  too  late  for  Tommy  to  get  his  claim  staked. 
However,  after  supper  he  went  out  and  cut  two 
stakes  weighing  ten  to  fifteen  pounds  each, 
brought  them  to  the  camp,  squared  the  tops,  and 
wrote  on  them  that  he  was  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States,  was  over  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  that 
he  had  this  day  located  the  placer  mining  rlaim 
described  below.  Then  he  gave  a  description  of 
what  his  claim  would  be,  and  signed  his  name. 

"Now,"  says  Tommy,  as  he  viewed  these 
marked  stakes  with  much  apparent  pleasure, 
"Oi'll  hov'  thim  riddy  for  morninV  In  the  morn- 
ing Tommy  was  the  first  man  ready,  and  stood 
around  with  his  stakes  upon  his  back  for  some 
time. 

Soon  we  started  for  the  lake,  where  we  intended 
to  stake  claiTis,  if  we  found  any  desirable  ones 
left.  All  the  forenoon,  while  pushing  our  way 
through  brush  and  swamp.  Tommy  carried  his 
two  stakes  upon  his  back,  and,  to  our  surprise, 
brought  them  back  to  camp  with   him   at   night. 


Experience  with  Alaskan  Bears       169 

The  next  morning  we  knew  that  there  was 
before  us  a  hard  tramp  of  from  eight  to  ten  miles, 
with  a  high  mountain  to  go  over,  and  imagine  our 
surprise  to  see  Tommy  appear  with  his  two  stakes 
again  over  his  shoulder.  I  asked  him  what  he 
expected  to  do  with  these. 

"Oh,"  said  he,  "  Oi  think  Oi '11  take  me  two 
sticks."     ' 

"Why,  Tommy,"  I  said,  "don't  you  know  that 
we  are  to  have  a  long,  hard  tramp,  and  you  can 
find  stakes  anywhere,  as  well  as  to  carry  these 
along.?" 

"Yis,  but  Oi  hev  these  all  riddy,"  was  his  reply, 
and  no  amount  of  argument  could  persuade  him 
to  leave  them  behind. 

He  carried  them  all  day ;  and,  after  we  had 
camped,  and  a  fire  had  been  started.  Tommy 
picked  up  his  stakes,  saying,  "  Oi  think  Oi  '11  go 
and  stick  me  stakes."  Whereupon  he  started  out 
into  the  gathering  shadows  of  evening  down  the 
stream,  but  he  had  not  been  gone  long  when  ' 
imagine  he  remembered  the  monstrous  bear  tracks 
we  had  seen  during  the  day,  for  he  soon  made  his 
appearance  again,  and  throwing  the  stakes  on  the 
ground,  remarked,  "  Be  gabs !  Oi  '11  wait  till 
mornin'." 

The     next     morning    Tommy    shouldered    his 


I  ';     ; 


170 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


Il- 
ls! 
,it 


Stakes,  and  accompanied  us  down  to  where  the 
last  claim  had  been  staked,  and  on  our  arrival  said, 
"  Now,  shill  Oi  stick  ntiy  stakes  first  ? "  I  informed 
him  that  he  might  'f  he  desired,  so  the  stakes 
were  set,  and  Tommy  had  rest,  after  carrying  fully 
twenty  pounds  cf  wood  for  at  least  fifteen  miles. 

That  morninf;  we  staked  nine  claims  of  twenty 
acres  each,  thus  making  fourteen  in  all  held  by 
members  of  our  company  on  this  one  creek.  This 
we  considered  to  be  enough,  if  they  should  prove 
any  good,  and  surely  enough  if  they  were  worth- 
less. The  balance  of  the  day  was  spent  in  pan- 
ning out  dirt  taken  from  the  creek  at  different 
points  on  our  claims.  We  found  good  surface  in- 
dications, in  fact  the  best  colors  we  had  struck  in 
all  our  prospecting  ;  so  we  determined  to  return 
to  the  creek,  put  in  a  sluice  box,  and  give  it  a 
thorough  test. 

The  next  morning  we  rnade  preparations  for 
returning  to  camp.  Leaving  all  our  tools,  and  all 
the  provisions  not  needed  on  the  road,  in  a  cache 
under  a  tree,  for  use  when  we  came  back,  we  set 
out  for  Lake  Klutina.  Just  as  we  were  starting, 
we  met  a  large  company  coming  in  to  get  claims, 
and  gave  them  all  the  information  we  could.  We 
afterward  learned  that  they  staked  twenty-five 
claims  on  the  creek  above  ours. 


> 

z 
z 

z 
a 


ir      : 


Experience  with  Alaskan  Bears        171 


Our  return  trip  was  uneventful,  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  second  day  we  reached  camp  on 
the  little  island.  A  few  of  our  men  who  had  been 
left  there  had  been  getting  discouraged  with  the 
outlook  in  that  part  of  the  country,  and  about  this 
time  five  of  them  decided  to  return  to  the  States. 
They  were  N.  D.  Benedict,  Bernard  Gasteldi, 
W.  H.  Lawrentz,  Fred  Gittner,  and  John  Potts. 

Our  association  with  these  gentlemen  had  been 
of  the  most  agreeable  character,  and  their  decision 
to  return  to  their  homes  was  much  regretted  by 
the  entire  company.  Mr.  Potts  had  for  some  time 
been  in  charge  of  our  store  at  Valdez,  and  his 
manner  of  conducting  the  business  at  that  point 
had  won  for  him  the  admiration  of  all.  A  satis- 
factory settlement  was  effected  with  them,  but  as 
it  would  be  some  time  before  another  boat  would 
leave  Valdez,  they  were  to  make  their  homes  with 
us  for  several  weeks,  and  during  that  time  make 
a  trip  down  to  Copper  River. 

The  company  was  now  reduced  to  sixteen  men, 
and  as  the  time  had  arrived  for  our  semiannual 
election  of  officers,  and  the  company  being  now 
all  together,  it  was  decided  to  hold  the  election 
at  this  time.  I  was  elected  vice-president,  and 
re-elected  as  one  of  the  directors,  and  also  to  a 
second  term  as  superintendent. 


I   : 


172 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


About  the  middle  of  August  two  hunters  re- 
turned to  camp  one  night,  and  reported  that  they 
had  wounded  an  enormous  bear  only  a  few  miles 
from  camp,  but  had  become  so  frightened  at  the 
actions  of  the  infuriated  animal  that  they  had 
returned  to  camp  with  no  intentions  of  going 
after  him  again. 

An  old  bear  hunter  from  Texas  happened  to 
be  there,  and  he  decided  to  return  next  morning, 
and  look  for  the  wounded  beast.  So  in  the  morn- 
ing he  took  his  rifle,  and  with  a  small  sailboat 
started  across  the  lake  to  a  point  two  miles  above, 
where  our  hunters  of  the  previous  day  had  told 
him  to  leave  his  boat.  They  had  also  given  him 
minute  directions  as  to  the  course  they  thought 
it  best  to  take  to  find  the  wounded  bear. 

He  had  proceeded  only  a  mile,  after  leaving  the 
boat,  when  suddenly,  and  without  warning,  the 
bear  stepped  from  behind  a  tree,  and,  as  the 
hunter  was  in  the  act  of  raising  his  gun,  struck  it 
with  his  huge  paw,  and  sent  it  flying  through  the 
brush  many  feet  away.  Then  he  proceeded  to 
handle  the  man  very  much  as  a  cat  would  handle 
a  mouse,  cuffing  and  rolling  him  about  on  the 
ground.  With  his  teeth  he  tore  the  flesh  com- 
pletely off  both  his  cheeks,  and  crushed  both  his 
jawbones  '.n  a  horrible  manner.     Then  the  bear, 


Experience  with  Alaskan  Bears        173 

seeming  to  be  satisfied  with  his  revenge,  left 
him. 

The  hunter,  n';ore  dead  than  alive,  managed  to 
crawl  to  his  boat,  clambered  into  it,  headed  it 
toward  camp,  and  fainted,  falling  across  the  tiller, 
thus  holding  it  on  its  coi»rse.  Some  one  saw  him 
coming,  and  went  to  meet  him,  and  was  greeted 
with  a  sight  that  almost  curdled  the  blood  in  his 
veins. 

Medical  aid  was  immediately  procured,  but  it 
was  little  that  could  be  done  for  the  poor  fellow. 
However,  he  recovered  consciousness,  and  not 
being  able  to  talk,  wrote  out  how  it  had  happened, 
as  before  stated.  He  said  that  the  bear  was  of 
enormous  size.  To  all  appearances  it  had  heard 
him  approaching,  and,  standing  upon  its  hind  feet 
behind  a  tree,  had  waited  his  coming,  letting  him 
approach  so  near  as  not  to  give  him  a  chance  to 
use  his  gun  ;  which  was  evidently  the  case,  as  the 
weapon  had  not  been  discharged  when  it  was 
found.  The  unfortunate  man  was  made  as  com- 
fortable as  circumstances  would  permit,  but  he 
lingered  six  days,  and  died. 

The  same  thing  came  near  being  repeated  two 
days  afterward.  Two  men  who  were  out  hunt- 
ing came  across  a  large  bear,  and  wounded  it ; 
whereupon  the  enraged  animal  charged  the  men, 


174 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


ii 


knocked  one  of  them  down,  and  was  pawing  him 
around  on  the  ground  as  the  other  bear  had  done, 
when  the  other  man  rushed  up,  and  placing  the 
muzzle  of  his  gun  to  the  bear's  ear,  fired.  A  great 
quiver  passed  through  hi?  immense  frame,  and  he 
fell  dead  upon  his  intended  victim. 

The  men  who  had  this  experience  were  stran- 
gers to  nr.e,  but  one  of  them  was  pointed  out  to 
me  a  few  days  later  as  being  the  one  who  shot  the 
bear,  and  I  said  to  him  :  "  They  tell  me  that  you 
are  the  man  who  shot  the  bear  the  other  day." 
"  No,  sir,"  he  replied,  "  I  am  the  man  who  held 
him   while   the  other  man  shot  him." 

These  are  but  two  of  the  many  blood-curdling 
adventures  which  the  miners  had  with  these  terri- 
ble brutes,  which  are  said  to  be,  when  wounded, 
a  worse  enemy  than  the  famous  grizzlies.  I  heard 
of  one  instance  where  eight  men,  while  hunting, 
came  upon  one  of  the  largc>st  of  this  kind.  The 
bear  charged  the  men  right  and  left,  with  no  less 
than  twelve  bullets  lodged  in  his  body,  but  was 
finally  killed  by  a  charge  of  buckshot  fired  at  a 
distance  of  only  a  few  feet  from  his  head.  His 
skin  measured  eleven  feet  in  length,  and  the 
entire  eight  men  slept  on  it  that   night. 

We  remained  at  camp  a  few  days  to  rest,  when 
a  party  was  made  up  to  return  to  the  scene  of  the 


Experience  with  Alaskan  Bears       175 


new  strike,  with  a  whip-saw  outfit  and  tools  for 
building  and  operating  a  sluice  box.  There  was 
so  much  to  be  carried  thui  we  could  only  take  a 
limited  amount  of  prov'Sions,  so  it  was  planned 
that  five  or  six  men  <  "  juld  oe  kept  at  work  carry- 
ing provisions  to  the  working  party.  Our  packs 
were  made  up  of  sixty  pounds  each,  and  we  again 
set  out  over  the  mountains. 

Before  noon  of  the  second  day  Wv^  reached  the 
trout  stream  which  we  had  passed  on  our  previous 
trip,  in  which  we  had  seen  such  an  abundance  of 
fish.  Near  the  head  waters  of  this  creek  we  found  a 
place  where  some  one  had  camped  but  a  little  while 
before,  and  there  in  one  pile  were  nearly  half  a 
bushel  of  trout  heads  So  we  knew  that  some 
one  who  had  preceded  us,  had  made  a  good  catch. 

We  determined  to  try  our  luck  also,  and  shoot- 
ing a  bird  to  use  for  bait,  we  began  fishing,  and  in 
a  short  time  had  caught  upward  of  forty  pounds 
of  the  speckled  beauties.  These  were  taken  along 
with  us,  and  served  as  a  valuable  addition  to  our 
food  supply. 

The  next  morning  five  men  returned  to  the  lake 
after  more  provisions,  while  the  others  began  the 
work  of  whip-sawing  for  our  sluice  boxes. 

Every  day  large  companies  of  men  passed  us  on 
their  way  up  the  creek,  hoping  yet  to  be  able  to 


176 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


get  claims.  But  the  creek  was  staked  along  its  en- 
tire length  by  this  time,  though  it  was  twenty-five 
miles  long.  This  creek  upon  which  we  were  work- 
ing also  contained  large  quantities  of  salmon  as 
well  as  brook  trout.  The  salmon  were  caught 
with  a  hook  made  with  a  spike  fastened  to  the  end 
of  a  pole,  as  previously  described. 


CHAPTER  XVII 


FLOPPED   BY   A   BlG   SALMON 


One  day,  while  standing  on  the  bank  looking 
for  these  fish,  I  saw  a  large  king  salmon  swimming 
leisurely  along  up  the  stream  against  the  strong 
current,  but  too  far  out  to  be  reached.  I  walked 
along  for  some  distance,  keeping  opposite  the  fish, 
when  he  suddenly  came  in  toward  the  shore.  I 
stepped  nearer  the  water's  edge,  when  he  again 
turned  toward  the  center  of  the  stream.  Reach- 
ing out  as  far  as  I  could,  I  hooked  him  near  the 
tail.  The  result  was  a  surprise  for  me,  for  he 
made  a  sudden  lunge  away  from  the  shore,  and  I 
was  jerked  instantly  from  under  my  hat,  which 
fell  in  the  water,  and  but  for  a  large  rock  I  would 
have  landed  in  the  creek  also  ;  but  bracing  my 
foot  against  the  rock.  I  succeeded  in  landing  the 
fish,  which  only  lacked  one  inch  of  measuring  four 
feet  in  length. 

At  the  end  of  five  days  we  had  fifty-six  feet  of 

sluice  box  ready  to  be  put  in  place.     The  same 

night,  the  party  who  went  back  to  the  lake  after 

provisions  returned  with  a  good  supply,  and  also 

IS  177 


i' . 


;l 


1T8 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


V  I 


brought  in  our  mail,  which  had  arrived  after  we 
had  left,  and  which  we  were  always  so  anxious  to 
receive. 

For  some  time  we  had  desired  to  go  on  a  pros- 
pecting trip  to  the  head  waters  of  Tonsena  River 
above  the  lake.  It  was  next  to  impossible  to 
reach  this  point  by  going  up  the  river,  for  it 
emptied  into  the  lake  through  a  rocky  cafion 
several  miles  in  length.  A  few  people  had  made 
the  attempt,  but  had  given  it  up  as  a  hard  and 
dangerous  undertaking.  We  had  planned  to  pros- 
pect a  few  of  the  gulches  coming  from  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Tonsena,  and  emptying  into  the  head 
waters  of  the  stream  upon  which  we  already  had 
our  claims,  partly  in  the  hope  that  we  might  find 
a  quartz  ledge  in  one  of  them,  and  partly  that  we 
might  find  a  passage  through  to  the  Tonsena 
valley. 

Next  morning  the  sluice  box  was  put  in  posi- 
tion, competent  men  were  put  in  charge  of  it,  and  a 
few  men  started  back  to  camp  for  more  provisions. 
Then  H.  H.  Sweet,  Charles  Priceler,  and  I  started 
out  upon  this  trip,  taking  with  us  only  a  few  days 
provisions. 

The  first  day  we  reached  the  head  waters  of  the 
creek  on  which  we  were  working,  fifteen  miles 
from  camp.    We  passed  the  night  at  the  mouth  of 


11 


^•^nmm^^^^^Fw 


Flopped  by  a  Big  Salmon 


179 


a  deep  gorge,  which  we  decided  to  explore  next 
morning.  To  enter  this  gorge,  we  must  climb  a 
thousand  feet  or  more,  up  a  steep  mountain,  at 
which  point  it  seemed  less  than  two  miles  to  the 
head  of  the  gulch.  So  leaving  our  packs  at  the 
camp,  and  taking  with  us  only  our  dinner  and 
prospecting  outfit,  we  started  out,  intending  to 
return  at  night.  After  traveling  an  hour  we  be- 
came convinced  that  instead  of  being  two  miles  it 
might  be  eight  to  the  head  of  this  narrow  valley. 
We  passed  several  small  lakes,  the  waters  of  which 
were  as  blue  as  the  sky  overhead. 

Upon  reaching  the  upper  end  of  the  gorge  we 
discovered  that  it  was  only  a  basin,  with  no  outlet 
to  the  valley  beyond.  There  was  a  glacier  two 
miles  in  extent  at  the  upper  end  of  this  basin,  and 
in  the  rocks  at  the  farther  end  of  this  we  saw  what 
appeared  to  be  a  quartz  ledge.  We  climbed  anx- 
iously this  two  miles  up  over  the  ice  to  this  ledge, 
only  to  find  that  instead  of  being  quartz,  it  was 
simply  a  vein  of  white  porphyry  rock. 

Not  having  found  upon  this  little  stream  any 
indications  of  gold,  or  any  passage  to  the  valley 
beyond,  we  returned  late  at  night  to  the  place 
where  we  had  left  our  packs  and  were  to  stay  for 
another  night.  The  work  of  the  day  ended  in 
disappointment,  but  was  only  one  of  many  similar 


=^a 


n 


I 


I 


180 


Go/d  Hunters  in  Alaska 


days  which  had  ended  similarly,  not  only  to  us, 
but  to  all  prospectors  after  the  yellow  metal, 
especially  in  Alaska. 

Two  miles  farther  on  was  another  narrow  divide 
leading  off  toward  the  Tonsena,  and  we  hoped  to 
discover  a  passage  through  it,  to  the  head  waters 
of  this  stream. 

The  next  morning  we  shouldered  our  packs, 
and  keeping  along  the  side  of  the  mountain  for 
two  miles,  we  entered  the  divide.  Mile  after  mile 
we  traveled,  stopping  occasionally  to  examine 
some  narrow  vein  of  quartz,  or  pan  out  some  dirt 
to  ascertain  if  it  contained  gold,  until  one  o'clock, 
when,  to  our  joy,  we  found  ourselves  standing 
upon  the  summit  of  a  narrow  divide  which  led 
through  into  the  valley  beyond,  down  which  we 
felt  sure  must  flow  the  Tonsena. 

However,  to  make  sure  of  this,  we  left  our  packs 
at  this  point,  which  must  have  been  at  least 
three  thousand  feet  higher  than  the  valley  which 
we  had  left  in  the  morning.  Going  down  the 
divide,  we  passed  over  snow  which  was  from  twenty 
to  forty  feet  deep,  and  upon  which  were  tracks  of 
bear,  moose,  and  other  animals  made  while  pass- 
ing from  one  valley  to  another.  Three  miles 
farther  on  we  came  out  upon  the  top  of  the  foot- 
qills,  two  miles  distant  from  Tonsena  River,  and 


ifj 


k 


Flopped  by  a  Big  Salmon 


181 


fully  three  thousand  feet  above  it.  Looking  down 
the  valley  ten  miles  we  could  see  the  upper  half 
of  the  lake,  and  looking  above  us  fifteen  miles 
several  glaciers  at  the  head  waters  of  the  river 
were  visible. 

We  decided  at  once  to  go  back  to  camp,  get  ten 
days'  supply  of  provisions,  and  return  again  to  this 
stream.  So  making  a  forced  march,  just  before 
dark  we  reached  the  spot  where  we  had  stayed  the 
two  previous  nights,  and  the  next  morning  early 
were  on  our  way  to  camp,  reaching  there  in  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon. 

As  yet  there  had  been  no  mining  district  found 
there,  and  the  creek  upon  which  our  claims  had 
been  located  had  never  been  named.  But  a  meet- 
ing of  the  miners  holding  claims  upon  this  creek 
bad  been  called,  and  was  to  be  held  upon  "  Dis- 
covery Claim"  the  next  day.  So  at  the  hour 
appointed,  eight  of  our  company  were  present. 
Upon  arriving  there,  we  found  about  forty-five 
men  gathered  in  front  of  a  brush  house  which  had 
been  used  as  a  camping  place  by  the  company 
making  the  discovery.  At  this  meeting  the 
stream  was  named  "Manker  Creek,"  in  honor  of 
the  man  making  the  discovery  ;  and  he  was  also 
elected  recorder  of  the  district,  which  embraced 
all  the  drainage  of  the  Tonsena  valley. 


i. 

Ml 

I' 


fH 


\   \    \ 


m 


'  i 


182 


Go/d  Hunters   in   Alaska 


After  the  meeting  we  returned  to  camp,  and  the 
next  morning  Sweet,  Priceler,  and  I,  taking  pro- 
visions for  ten  or  twelve  days,  set  out  on  our 
return  trip  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Tonsena. 
The  first  day  we  reached  the  last  timber  on 
Manker  Creek,  where  we  camped  for  the  night, 
and  had  scarcely  gone  into  camp  when  it  began 
to  rain. 

As  soon  as  supper  was  over,  we  crawled  into 
our  sleeping  bags  ;  but  it  was  little  sleep  we  got 
that  night,  for  the  whole  night  through  it  rained 
hard,  and  the  oilcloth  cover  forming  the  outside 
had  become  somewhat  worn,  so  that  our  sleeping 
bags  were  soon  soaked  with  water. 

I  hope  no  one  will  envy  us  our  pleasurable  feel- 
ings as  we  slung  our  water-soaked  packs  upon 
our  wet  shoulders  next  morning, —  packs  which 
were  heavy  enough  before,  but  were  now  almost 
twice  as  heavy  for  being  wet, —  and  started  up 
the  divide  against  the  storm,  which  was  driven  in 
our  faces  by  a  gale  so  strong  at  times  that  we 
could  make  no  headway  against  it. 

Having  fifteen  miles  to  go  before  reaching  any 
timber  for  a  camp  fire,  it  was  necessary  for  us  to 
push  on  as  fast  as  possible.  We  came  upon  several 
flocks  of  ptarmigans,  which  were  so  tame  that  they 
only  ran  out  of  our  way  a  few  feet,  where  they 


Flopped  by  a  Big  Salmon 


183 


would  sit  and  quack  like  young  ducks.  We  shot 
several,  and  tied  them  to  our  already  too  heavy 
packs,  intending  when  camp  was  reached  to  make 
one  of  those  delicious  ptarmigan  stews,  which  the 
boys  declared  was  a  dish  fit  for  a  king. 

About  noon  we  arrived  to  within  about  two 
miles  of  the  summit  of  the  divide,  and  over  this 
distance  was  perhaps  an  elevation  of  eight  hun- 
dred feet  to  the  mile. 


II 


msam 


CHAPTER   XVIII 


EXPERIENCE    V7ITH    "  WOOLEYS  " 

Our  route  lay  over  large  rocks  which  had  tum- 
bled down  from  the  mountains,  and  we  were  com- 
pelled to  travel  in  one  of  the  fiercest  storms  of 
wind  and  rain  that  I  had  ever  experienced. 

The  "  wooleys,"  as  they  are  called  in  Alaska, — 
which,  by  the  way,  travel  something  like  a  whirl- 
wind,—  go  sweeping  along  the  mountain  side  with 
such  force  that  great  rocks  are  torn  loose  by  them, 
and  sent  tumbling  into  the  valley  below. 

One  peculiarity  about  the  "  wooleys "  is  that 
they  will  come  rushing  along  down  the  valley  at 
a  terrific  rate,  then,  without  any  apparent  cause- 
turn  at  right  angles,  and  go  straight  up  the  moun- 
tain for  thousands  of  feet ;  then  again  turn  as 
suddenly,  and  go  tearing  along  the  side,  or  go 
headlong  down  into  the  valley  below.  And  they 
are  of  such  frequent  occurrence  during  some  of 
these  storms  that  a  person  can  not  stand  in  any 
one  place  a  minute  without  being  struck  by  one, 
and   their   liability   to   come   from   any  direction 

made  them  more  difficult  to  cope  with. 

184 


'vii 


i 


Experience  unth  ^^  IVoo/ejys  ^^ 


185 


As  we  pushed  on  up  toward  the  summit,  these 
"  wooleys "  became  more  frequent  and  of  greater 
force.  We  were  not  only  in  danger  from  the_j 
directly,  but  took  chances  of  being  crushed  by 
rocks  which  were  loosened  and  sent  tumbling 
down  the  side  of  the  mountain  as  they  swept  this 
way  and  that.  By  keeping  close  watch  we  were 
enabled  to  note  their  approach  in  time  to  throw 
ourselves  flat  on  the  ground,  v  here  we  would  cling 
to  the  rocks  until  they  had  passed,  and  then  rise 
and  move  on  as  fast  as  possible  ;  but  we  never 
went  more  than  fifty  feet  before  having  to  seek  the 
ground  again. 

Getting  up  and  down  so  often  with  a  pack  of 
eighty  pounds  or  more  on  one's  back  was  a  task 
which  the  strongest  could  not  endure  long,  and  by 
the  time  we  had  passed  over  the  summit  we  were 
so  thoroughly  exhausted  as  to  be  obliged  to  stop 
for  rest.  Finding  a  place  between  two  ledges  that 
was  somewhat  sheltered  from  the  "wooleys,"  we 
sat  down  to  rest,  and  watched  them  as  they  went 
rushing  back  and  forth  across  the  face  of  the 
mountain. 

Exactly  in  front  of  us,  and  perhaps  two  thou- 
sand feet  above,  was  a  little  stream,  which,  swollen 
by  the  recent  heavy  rain,  was  pouring  over  the 
rocks,  making  in  its  last  leap  a  waterfall  of  about 


f 


1^  ;    11 


■ 


186 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


i   ! 


one  hundred  feet  higfh.  One  of  these  "  wooleys  " 
came  sweeping  along  the  mountain  side  until  it 
came  to  this  stream,  and  then  suddenly  turned 
and  went  straight  up  toward  the  waterfall.  We 
were  all  attention,  to  note  what  it  would  do  then, 
and  were  surprised  to  see  it  pick  up  the  water  and 
carry  it  back  up  the  mountain  for  hundreds  of 
feet  above  the  falls,  and  so  fierce  was  the  wind 
that  for  nearly  a  minute  not  a  drop  of  water  came 
over  the  falls. 

After  a  brief  rest  we  resumed  our  journey  down 
the  divide.  When  within  two  miles  of  the  Ton- 
sena,  we  wished  to  cross  the  foothills  and  strike 
the  river  farther  up,  but  the  rains  had  turned  the 
little  mountain  stream  into  a  roaring  torrent  im- 
possible to  cross. 

We  could  not  follow  the  stream  down,  because 
of  its  narrow  rocky  walls,  so  going  off  to  one  side 
we  entered  one  of  the  most  impenetrable  jungles 
I  ever  saw.  The  brush  was  ten  feet  high,  and  so 
thick  that  but  for  the  fact  that  we  were  going 
down  hill  we  never  could  have  got  through.    • 

This  was  kept  up  for  some  two  miles,  when  we 
came  out  into  a  dense  forest  of  spruce  timber.  As 
night  was  approaching,  we  began  to  look  about 
for  a  camping  place.  Following  up  through  the 
timber  we  soon  came  to  the  stream  which  we  had 


Experience  with  ^^IVoo/eys^^ 


187 


been  unable  to  cross  up  near  the  top  of  the  foot- 
hills. Here  in  the  heavy  timber  we  made  a  large 
camp  fire,  but  it  was  impossible  to  dry  our  cloth- 
ing, as  the  rain  still  kept  falling,  and  we  knew  that 
with  wet  clothes,  and  our  sleeping  bags  soaked 
with  water,  a  very  uncomfortable  night  was  before 
us,  and  so  it  proved. 

We  were  more  than  glad  when  the  first  streaks 
of  dawn  appeared,  and  the  rain  having  ceased,  we 
hung  our  sleeping  bags  up  around  a  roaring  camp 
fire  to  dry,  and  also  stood  around  it  to  dry  our 
soaked  clothes.  We  had  intended  to  go  on  up  the 
river,  but  it  had  risen  so  from  the  recent  rain  that 
it  was  bringing  down  logs,  and  even  whole  trees  ; 
and  standing  upon  the  bank,  we  could  hear  large 
boulders  being  tumbled  along  on  its  bottom  by 
the  rushing  current.  So  we  decided  to  spend  this 
day  in  prospecting  and  hunting. 


m'- 


I     r 


{    ■  ^ 


I 
I 
i 

P      ^ 


CHAPTER   XIX 

SHOOTING   A    BEAR 

We  had  with  us  one  Winchester  rifle  of  large 
caliber,  and  one  Winchester  shotgun,  but  unfor- 
tunately all  the  shells  for  the  latter  were  loaded 
with  No.  8  shot,  which  were  all  right  for  ptarnrii- 
gans  and  spruce  hens,  but  if  we  should  chance 
upon  a  bear,  they  would  be  of  little  service. 
Taking  our  guns  and  prospecting  outfits,  we  fol- 
lowed down  to  the  main  river,  which  I  believe 
in  low  water  could  have  been  forded,  but  now 
would  have  floated  two  loaded  canal  boats  side 
by  side. 

•  On  the  bank  of  this  river  was  a  hard  beaten 
path,  made  by  wild  beasts  as  they  traveled  up  and 
down  the  stream..  There  were  large  numbers  of 
bear  tracks,  and  now  and  then  a  half-f^aten  fish 
would  be  found  where  some  of  these  forest  mon- 
sters had  made  a  meal,  and  seemed  to  have  had  a 
surplus.  Soon  we  came  to  one  which  appeared  to 
have  been  recently  caught,  and  only  a  few  mouth- 
fuls  had  been  eaten  from  it.  The  boys  declared 
that  we  were  surrounded   by  bears,  and  one  of 

J88         ,    .     :: 


Shooting  a  Bear 


189 


them  said  that  he  would  n't  mind  hunting  them,  if 
he  knew  we  would  n't  find  any. 

We  followed  along  down  the  river  half  a  mile, 
when  we  came  to  a  rocky  ledge  which  prevented 
us  from  going  farther.  Noticing  a  cleared  place 
to  our  left,  we  went  to  examine  it,  and  found  it  a 
marshy  spot  containin  ten  acres  or  more,  through 
which  flowed  a  small,  clear  stream  of  water. 

I  was  in  advance,  and  looking  across  to  an  ele- 
vation on  the  opposite  side  about  two  hundred 
yards  distant,  saw  a  large  brown  bear  emerge 
from  the  thicket,  and  stop  in  full  view  of  us.  His 
nose  was  upon  the  ground,  as  if  eating  berries, 
and  to  all  appearance  he  was  unconscious  of  our 
presence.  My  companions  saw  him  at  about  the 
same  time  that  I  did.  I  was  carrying  the  Win- 
chester, and  quickly  raising  it,  took  careful  aim  at 
his  heart,  and  fired. 

For  an  instant  his  bearship  performed  several  acts 
which  would  have  done  credit  to  a  circus-trained 
animal,  and  then  disappeared  behind  the  mound. 
We  crossed  over  to  where  he  had  stood  when  I 
fired,  and  following  his  track  a  short  distance,  saw 
where  he  had  entered  some  brush.  The  bushes 
were  covered  with  dark  red  blood  upon  the  side 
opposite  to  the  one  I  had  shot  at,  so  it  was  evident 
that  the  bullet  had  passed  through  his  body. 


190 


Gold  Hunters  in   Alaska 


Should  we  follow  him  into  the  thick  bushes  ?  was 
the  question  which  now  presented  itself.  All  the 
blood-curdling  stories  we  had  heard  about  these 
animals  when  wounded  came  up  before  us,  and  we 
knew  well  enough  that  at  such  times  they  are 
terrible  enemies  to  encounter. 

We  had  practically  but  one  gun,  for  the  small- 
ness  of  the  shot  in  the  shotgun  rendered  it  of  little 
service  in  a  battle  royal  such  as  this  promised  to 
be,  provided  we  should  find  him  still  able  to  fight. 
However,  we  needed  that  bear,  and  our  anxiety 
to  get  him  overcoming  all  our  fears,  we  decided  to 
go  after  him,  and  take  our  chances.  So  taking 
the  lead  with  the  rifle,  and  my  companions  a  close 
second, —  one  with  the  shotgun,  and  the  other 
with  a  miner's  pick,  shovel,  and  gold  pan, —  we 
followed  the  bear  into  the  dense  jungle. 

The  bushes  were  so  covered  with  blood  that  it 
was  easy  to  follow  his  trail,  but  so  thick  v.'ere  they 
that  at  no  point  could  we  see  more  than  twenty 
feet  ahead  of  us.  Carefully  we  parted  the  bushes, 
and  examined  every  particle  of  ground,  taking 
only  a  few  steps  in  advance  at  a  time,  for  we  did 
not  propose  to  be  caught  napping,  or  be  taken  by 
surprise,  even  if  we  were  pursuing  such  a  wily  foe. 
Our  knowledge  of  their  habits,  from  our  recent 
acquaintance  with  what  they  had  done  to  som'^^  of 


Shooting  a  Bear 


191 


our  fellow  miners,  was  too  fresh  in  mind  to  let  us 
forget.  - 

We  soon  found  where  he  had  lain  down,  and  it 
appeared  to  us,  frcm  the  indications  of  his  trail, 
that  he  could  not  proceed  much  farther.  After 
following  him  a  hundred  yards  or  so,  we  came  to 
a  small  hollow  in  the  ground  v/hich  contained  a 
few  barrels  of  water.  Into  th'""  he  had  gone  and 
washed  himself,  coloring  the  water  red  with  his 
blood,  but  in  some  manner  had  stopped  its  flow. 
However,  as  long  a'',  he  remained  in  the  thick 
bushes  we  had  no  diflficulty  in  tracking  him,  but  he 
soon  came  out  upon  an  old  creek  bed,  where  it  was 
impossible  to  tell  in  which  direction  he  had  gone. 

We  spent  an  hour  hunting  for  him,  but  without 
success.  How  we  wished  for  a  little  snow  just 
then,  that  we  might  tell  in  which  direction  he  had 
gone,  or  for  a  dog  to  follow  hi?  trail,  for  we  were 
convinced  that  he  had  received  a  death  shot,  and 
was  not  far  away.  We  were  therefore  compelled, 
very  reluctantly  it  is  true,  to  abandon  the  chase. 
But  our  guess  proved  correct  about  his  having 
received  his  death  shot ;  for  some  hunters,  a  few 
days  afterward,  came  across  his  dead  carcass  only 
a  little  distance  from  where  we  had  lost  his  trail. 
He  was  indeed  a  monster,  for  they  said  that  he 
would  have  weighed  at  least  eight  hundred  pounds. 


II 


192 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


t 


iii 


Of  course  we  were  grievously  disappointed  at 
losing  him,  when  he  seemed  almost  sure  to  us ; 
for  it  was  not  the  loss  of  the  meat  only  for  which 
we  cared,  but  to  bag  such  large  game  would  have 
been  somethinij  worth  repeating  to  our  children 
and  grandchildren  in  future  years.  Yet  we  were 
not  altogether  forgetful  that  our  misfortune  may 
have  been  our  safety,  for  even  wounded  as  he  was, 
he  might  have  made  it  exceedingly  lively  and 
interesting  for  us.  Others  of  Ms  kind  had  fought 
with  awful  desperation  with  many  bullets  in  them, 
and  he  had  but  one.  The  very  severity  of  his 
wound  might  have  added  to  his  desperation,  and 
even  given  him  unnatural  strength  for  a  last 
struggle. 

In  recalling  this  adventure  to  mind,  after  having 
learned  more  of  the  ferocious  nature  of  these 
animals,  I  can  but  believe  that  while  pursuing  this 
wounded  bear  through  the  thick  jungle,  our  lives 
were  in  greater  danger  than  if  we  had  been 
shooting  the  great  Klutina  River  rapids,  where  it 
was  said  that  three  out  of  every  four  boats  that 
made  the  attempt  were  wrecked  ;  for  had  we  met 
him,  and  failed  to  kill  him  instantly  with  the  first 
shot,  the  chances  no  doubt  would  have  been 
greatly   in   favor   of  the   bear. 

While  crossing  the  marih  where  the  bear  had 


Shooting  a  Bear 


193 


been  shot,  we  saw  in  the  small,  clear  stream, 
swimming  leisurely  about,  a  large  number  ot 
salmon  ;  and  now  that  our  bear  hunt  was  declared 
off,  we  decided  to  go  fishing.  So  returning  to  our 
Cewmp  we  procured  our  salmon  hook,  or  spike, 
which  we  always  carried  with  us  on  our  prospect- 
ing trips,  fastened  it  to  a  pole,  and  returned  to  the 
stream,  and  within  fifteen  minutes  had  caught 
twelve  salmon  whose  average  weight  was  not  less 
than  eight  pounds.  These  were  strung  upon  a 
pole  and  carried  to  our  camp,  a  very  considerable 
load  for  two  men,  and  fresh  fish  formed  the  staple 
of  our  menu  for  the  time  we  remained  at  this 
place. 

We  prospected  in  different  places  as  deep  as  the 
high  state  of  the  water  would  allow,  and  washed 
pan  after  pan  of  dirt,  but  with  very  little  encour- 
agement. 

During  the  day  our  sleeping  bags  had  become 
dry,  and  we  passed  a  comfortable  night  in  them, 
the  first  since  the  great  storm  began.  When 
morning  came,  the  water  in  the  creek  had  so 
abated  that  we  were  able  to  cross  and  continue 
our  journey  up  the  Tonsena.  The  water  in  the 
Tonsena,  however,  had  receded  but  very  little, 
and  in  many  places  was  still  over  its  banks,  which 
compelled  us  to  keep  along  the  foothills,  over 
13 


SSSSSSi 


194 


Go/d  Hunters   in   Aiaska 


% 


I ' 


trails  which  were  too  bad  to  describe.  Sometimes 
we  were  obliged  to  spend  hours  in  bridging 
streams  which  were  too  deep  to  ford,  and  over 
which  there  was  no  other  possible  way  of  crossing. 

Day  after  day  we  pushed  on  up  the  valley, 
stopping  here  and  there  to  prospect  the  small  side 
streams  which  empty  into  the  main  river.  At  the 
end  of  the  sixth  day  out  we  came  within  a  short 
distance  of  the  glaciers  at  the  head  of  the  river, 
and  stood  in  one  of  the  wildest  regions  it  had  ever 
been  my  fortune  to  enter.  Here  we  built  us  a 
small  brush  house,  in  which  we  slept  three  nights, 
and  during  the  days  prospected  the  surrounding 
country.  We  found  some  gold,  but  not  in  suffi- 
cient quantities  to  warrant  us  in  staking  claims, 
and  as  our  provisions  were  beginning  to  run  low, 
we  were  obliged  to  commence  the  homeward 
march. 

To  get  out  of  the  valley  of  the  Tonsena  was  . 
harder  than  to  get  in,  and  we  had  found  that  no 
picnic.  By  reaching  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  we 
might  work  our  way  along  above  the  brush  line  to 
the  divide  by  which  we  had  entered  the  valley ;, 
but  to  the  upper  edge  of  the  brush  from  where  we 
were  was  four  miles,  at  an  elevation  of  3,500  feet, 
and  every  step  of  the  distance  must  be  made  by 
pushing  up  through  a  perfect  network  of  bushes 


Shooting  a  Bear 


195 


» • 
e 

y 

iS 


*->, 


as  high  as  our  heads.  The  coming  down  had 
been  an  undertaking  to  be  dreaded,  but  it  was 
nothing  to  be  compared  with  making  the  ascent. 

Getting  an  early  start,  we  began  our  return  trip 
next  morning.  We  had  more  than  twenty  miles 
to  travel  to  reach  the  nearest  timber  across  the 
divide,  and  whether  we  would  be  able  to  reach  it 
before  night  or  not  was  a  question  we  were  not 
sure  about. 

I  shall  never  forget  that  four  miles  of  travel. 
Many  times  we  were  on  the  point  of  giving  up 
and  saying  we  could  go  no  farther,  but  after  a 
brief  rest  we  pushed  on  again,  and  at  last  reached 
the  foot  of  the  mountain.  Here  we  sat  down,  and 
took  a  long  rest  ;  and  the  reader  may  be  assured 
that,  with  us,  the  desire  to  see  the  head  waters  of 
the  Tonsena  had  been  gratified  forever.  We  had 
seen  it.  Its  wild  jungles  had  been  prospected, 
and  we  were  more  than  satisfied. 

Nothing  of  note  occurred  during  the  day,  and  at 
seven  o'clock  we  reached  first  timber  on  Manker 
Creek,  so  tired  that  some  of  the  boys  said  that  if 
it  had  been  another  half  mile  they  could  not  have 
made  it. 

We  had  camped  several  nights  at  this  same 
spot,  and  had  christened  it  "Ptarmigan  Camp,"  on 
account  of  the  large  numbers  of  these  beautiful 


1 1  laiuiw 


iL'fflBBBHI 


>i'' 


i> 


196 


Goid  Hunters  in   Alaska 


birds  which  always  frequented  this  particular  spot. 
I  have  given  a  brief  description  of  these  birds  in  a 
previous  chapter.  Just  before  reaching  camp  we 
had  shot  several  of  them,  and  after  supper  we 
dressed  them,  and  hung  them  over  the  fire  to  pre- 
pare them  for  breakfast  next  morning. 

Being  very  tired  we  turned  in  early,  and  had  a 
good  night's  rest.  I  was  awakened  early  next 
morning,  almost  before  daylight,  by  what  seemed 
the  quacking  of  hundreds  of  ducks,  and  rising  up 
in  my  sleeping  bag,  I  saw  above  us,  around  us, 
and  on  every  side  of  us  an  immense  number  of 
these  ptarmigans,  which  were  flying  about  and 
over  us  entirely  unconscious  of  our  presence. 
Coming  in  so  late  at  night  they  had  not  been  ap- 
prised of  our  arrival,  and  our  little  sleeping  bags, 
spread  upon  the  ground  here  and  there,  had  not 
attracted  their  notice. 

I  remembered  that  we  had  but  four  shotgun  cart- 
ridges left,  and  did  not  forg<2t  that  it  was  forty 
miles  to  where  we  could  obtain  more  ;  notwith- 
standing which  I  could  not  restrain  my  desire  to 
have  some  fun  with  this  gabbling  flock,  and  crawl- 
ing out  of  my  bag  as  quietly  as  possible,  I  caught 
the  shotgun,  and  blazed  away  among  them,  bag- 
ging four. 

You   should  have  seen  the  boys,  when  the  re- 


Shooting  a  Bear 


197 


port  of  the  shots  woke  them  from  a  sound  morn- 
ing nap.  How  they  glared  !  They  rose  quickly 
up  in  bed,  and  looked  about  them  wildly,  as 
if  they  thoi  ht  we  had  been  surprised  and  fired 
upon  by  some  wild  Indians.  The  birds,  to  whom 
I  suppose  the  firing  of  guns  was  unknown  before 
our  advent  among  them,  seemed  not  to  realize 
any  danger,  and  scarcely  noticed  my  sudden  on- 
slaught upon  them,  but  remained  in  our  vicinity 
for  some  time. 

Breakfast  over,  we  set  out  for  our  next  camp, 
fifteen  miles  farther  down  the  stream.  During  our 
absence  this  stream  had  also  overflowed  its  banks, 
and  on  our  arrival  we  found  that  the  boys  had  not 
been  able  to  "  sluice  "  much  on  account  of  high 
water,  and  leaving  their  tools  and  a  small  amount 
of  provisions  in  the  tent,  had  returned  to  Lake 
Klutina. 


u 


!        ;> 


7   ' 


CHAPTER   XX     ■ 

ANOTHER   MAD   RUSH   FOR  CLAIMS  * 

We  remained  in  the  tent  overnight,  and  in  the 
morning  started  for  the  lake  also.  We  had  made 
about  half  the  distance  —  say  fifteen  miles  —  when 
we  came  upon  a  camp  fire,  around  which  were 
several  men  preparing  themselves  coffee ;  and 
while  resting  there  they  informed  us  that  a  new 
strike  had  been  made  somewhere  near  there,  and 
that  they  were  on  their  way  thither.  They  also 
informed  us  that  a  large  company  were  coming 
behind  them. 

Wishing  them  luck  we  started  forward,  but  the 
sight  and  smell  of  steaming  coffee  had  made  us 
hungry,  and  so  we  decided  that  we,  too,  would  have 
our  dinner.  We  had  barely  got  it  prepared,  and 
begun  eating  when  three  men  went  past  us  down 
the  trail  at  a  two-forty  gait.  We  asked  them 
what  was  up,  but  they  did  not  seem  to  have  time 
to  answer,  so  said  nothing ;  only  they  quickened 
their  pace  and  hurried  on.  Two  other  parties 
went  past  us  in  the  same  manner  before  we 
were   through  our   dinner,  pufHng    and    blowing 

198 


Another  Mad  Rush  for  Claims       199 


x%-!:- 


like  porpoises,  but  not  having  time  to  answer  a 
question. 

Such  a  scramble  as  this  suggested  something  of 
interest  to  men  like  us  who  had  come  thousands 
of  miles,  and  had  gone  through  with  so  many  hard 
experiences  already  in  our  search  for  gold,  and 
we  grew  more  and  more  anxious  to  know  what  it 
all  meant. 

Presently  we  saw  coming  a  company  of  five  men 
almost  on  a  trot,  and  the  foremost  one  we  recog- 
nized as  the  man  who  held  the  claim  next  to 
ours  on  Manker  Creek.  I  said  to  my  companions, 
"Now  we  will  find  out  something  about  it."  So 
when  he  was  opposite  to  us,  I  sang  out,  "  Hello 
there,  what  does  all  this  mean .' " 

He  halted,  set  down  his  gun,  and  was  about  to 
answer  my  question,  when  his  companion  came  up 
to  him,  and  giving  him  a  poke  with  his  gun  bar- 
rel said,  "  Go  on,  go  on ;  don't  stop  a  minute." 
And  picking  up  his  gun,  he  started  off  almost  on  a 
run  ;  so  we  were  again  left  in  ignorance  concern- 
ing the  cause  of  the  excitement. 

Our  anxiety  was  getting  the  better  of  us,  and 
we  were  discussing  the  propriety  of  joining  in  the 
stampede.  But  how  could  we }  We  had  with  us 
only  provisions  enough  for  three  more  meals,  and 
besides,  we  were  nearly  worn  out  with  fatigue  and 


■M 


200 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


exposure.  So  the  matter  was  settled  that  we 
would  follow  out  our  first  plan  ;  and  after  finishing 
our  lunch,  we  slung  on  our  packs,  and  started  on 
up  the  trail. 

We  had  gone  but  a  few  hundred  yards  when 
we  came  upon  thirty  or  forty  men  seated  on  the 
ground,  who  with  their  packs  laid  off,  seemed  to 
be  enjoying  a  good  rest.  Sitting  down  beside 
them  we  again  asked  to  know  the  cause  of  all  this 
excitement.  One  of  the  men,  who  seemed  to  be 
the  head  of  the  party,  said  that  a  strike  had  been 
made  upon  a  small  stream  on  the  opposite  side  of 
Tonsena  Lake,  and  which  emptied  into  it  near  its 
foot,  and  that  the  rush  was  to  that  place.  I  asked 
the  man  if  the  discoverers  were  known  to  him, 
and  if  he  thought  that  confidence  could  be  placed 
in  the  report.  He  informed  me  that  he  was  the 
discoverer,  and  that  he  and  most  of  his  party  had 
claims  already  staked.  This  accounted  for  their 
leisurely  actions  while  others  were  so  nearly  wild 
about  it.  I  asked  if  he  had  any  proof  of  the  rich- 
ness of  the  strike,  and  he  pulled  from  his  pocket 
some  fine  nuggets,  which  he  said  were  taken  from 
near  the  surface. 

They  were  indeed  a  panacea  for  such  cases  of 
sore  eyes  as  affected  the  most  of  us  just  about 
now, —  eyes  sore  for  the  sight  of  real  gold  in  our 


1  i 


I      ! 
i  '      I 


T-^«i:.    " 


H  i 


I' 


I 


I 


Another  Mad  Rush  for  Claims        201 

immediate  vicinity.  Had  n't  we  been  hunting 
long  and  wearily  for  it,  over  hills,  through  swift 
waters,  and  amid  all  sorts  of  perils  ?  And  had  n't 
it  thus  far  evaded  us,  with  only  just  enough  of  the 
flour  dust  to  keep  us  eager  and  hopeful  ?  And 
the  sight  of  these  nuggets,  was  n't  it  a  sudden 
cure  for  all  our  tired  feelings  ?  Why,  we  felt  at 
once  that  we  could  walk  all  day  and  all  night, 
climb  mountains,  swim  or  ford  streams,  and  brave 
perils  as  we  had  been  doing,  if  only  there  was  a 
tolerably  sure  thing  that  such  finds  as  these 
awaited  our  efforts,  , 

.  We  remained  seated  upon  the  ground  while  the 
large  company  put  on  their  packs  and  started 
down  the  trail.  We  then  began  to  plan  if  there 
was  any  possible  way  by  which  we  might  go  to 
the  new  strike  at  once.  The  question  of  provi- 
sions was  the  question  we  were  trying  to  settle. 
It  would  n't  do  to  be  reckless  of  life  in  our  eager- 
ness to  secure  a  share  in  thip  new  find.  We  must 
take  our  own  supplies  along,  or  not  have  any. 
Away  up  there  in  those  vast  wilds  were  no  "  grub- 
stations  "  where  an  empty  pack  might  be  replen- 
ished when  once  it  became  empty. 

At  the  camp  we  had  just  left,  fifteen  miles  back, 
were  some  beans,  rice,  and  dried  apples,  and  1 '  we 
could  live  a  week  upon   those  three  articles,  we 


202 


Gold  Hunters  in   Alaska 


could  go.  Could  we  ?  That  was  the  question 
now.  The  thought  of  the  nuggets  of  gold  was  a 
wonderful  argument  in  the  affirmative.  Yes,  we 
thought  that  we  could  ;  the  thing  was  decided, 
and  we  at  once   turned   back. 

Two  of  us  took  the  pack  of  the  third,  dividing  it 
between  us,  and  sent  him  to  the  lake  camp  after 
provisions,  with  orders  to  meet  us  at  the  foot  of 
the  lake  tue  next  day,  where  we  must  all  stop  to 
build  raft'i  upon  which  to  cross  the  lake.  It  was 
three  o'clock  when  we  were  ready  to  start  back, 
and  it  was  twelve  miles  to  the  lake. 

Two  other  men  came  along  at  this  time  who, 
like  ourselves,  had  been  on  the  homeward  trip, 
but  meeting  the  rush,  had  turneckabout  and  joined 
in,  so  they  kept  us  company. 

We  had  traveled  about  three  miles  when  we 
met  a  man  upon  whose  face  was  such  a  worn-out 
and  haggard  expression  that  I  shall  never  forget 
it.  We  asked  him  where  he  was  bound,  and  he 
answered,  "To  the  new  strike."  I  said  to  him, 
'  You  are  going  in  the  wrong  direction,"  cnd^ 
added  that  if  he  wished  to  go  to  the  strike,  he 
could  follow  us.  He  said  that  he  had  been  in 
company  with  some  men,  but  in  some  way  they 
had  got  separated,  and  he  i^ad  lost  his  way.  Ws 
traveled  until  eight  o'clock,   \.-Hen   it   became  so 


Another  Mad  Rush  for  Claims       203 


dark  that  we  could  not  see  to  pick  our  way  through 
the  brush.  We  were  yet  two  miles  from  the  lake, 
but  decided  to  go  into  camp  until  daylight 

We  looked  around  for  the  man  that  had  been 
lost,  but  he  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  Then  we 
hallooed  after  him,  and  received  an  answer  from  a 
short  distance  up  the  trail.  Soon  he  came  along, 
staggering  as  he  walked,  pale  as  a  ghost,  and  with 
a  look  on  his  countenance  to  remind  one  of  the 
contestants  in  the  finish  of  a  six-days'  walking 
match.  We  were  greatly  surprised  that  he  would 
not  stop  with  us,  but  kept  on  toward  the  lake. 
We  said  all  that  was  possible  to  get  him  to  remain 
for  a  night  of  rest,  but  his  only  answer  was  that 
he  must  hurry  on.  We  retired  early  after  having 
prepared  and  eaten  our  suppers,  but  the  fe?  of 
oversleeping  kept  us  awake   much  of   the  night. 

At  the  first  appearance  of  day,  we  ate  our 
breakfast,  and  were  ready  to  set  out  on  our  tramp. 
The  morning  was  clear  and  cold,  and  a  heavy  frost 
covered  everything.  At  the  lake  we  found  fully 
seventy-five  men  at  work  building  rafts  upon 
which  to  cross  the  lake,  which  at  this  point  was 
one  fourth  of  a  mile  wide.  One  large  raft  had  just 
landed  a  dozen  men  upon  the  opposite  shore,  and 
another  smaller  one  was  on  its  way  over. 

All  the  dry  trees  near  the   shore  had  been  cut 


!■■ 


204 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


\'•^ 


"leVs 


i»^ 


by  those  in  advance  of  us,  so  going  back  seventy- 
five  yards  from  the  shore,  we  cut  three  trees,  out 
of  which  we  cut  six  logs  fourteen  feet  long.  Some 
men  who  already  had  their  claims  secured,  klx^»;^/ 
helped  us  to  carry  our  logs  to  the  lake.  This 
done,  we  a  ere  obliged  to  await  the  arrival  of  our 
companion  who  had  gone  after  our  provisions, 
and  who  was  also  to  bring  some  rope  and  spikes 
from  the  camp. 

The  whole  company  that  we  found  at  the  lake 
on  our  arrival  had  crossed  before  noon,  but  we 
were  obliged  to  wait.  The  wind  began  to  blow  a 
gale  down  the  lake,  and  by  two  o'clock,  when  we 
were  ready  to  go  over,  the  waves  were  so  high 
that  we  dared  not  make  the  attempt  to  cross. 
The  creek  upon  which  the  strike  had  been  made 
was  only  two  miles  from  the  opposite  shore  of  the 
lake,  and  it  may  be  imrigined  that  we  waited  very 
uneasily  for  the  wind  and  waves  to  become  quiet. 

Large  numbers  of  men  continued  to  arrive  until 
after  dark,  when  the  forest  w^s  lighted  up  by  nu- 
merous camp   fires  in  all  directions. 

In  the  morning  there  was  not  a  ripple  on  the 
waters,  and  before  it  was  fairly  daylight  we  had 
our  raft  loaded,  and  were  out  on  the  l^kf?,  paddling 
for  all  we  were  worth  for  the  opposite  s^^-'e. 

Making  a  landing,  we  hastily  iastened  our  craft 


Another  Mad  Rush  for  Claims       205 

to  a  bush,  shouldered  our  packs,  and  started, 
double-quick,  for  "  Quartz  Creek,"  as  this  new 
strike  had  been  named.  On  reaching  it  we  found 
that  it  had  already  been  staked  with  claims  its 
entire  length,  the  claims  being  nine  hundred  feet 
square. 

At  the  present  time  the  creek  flowed  in  a  direct 
line  to  the  river,  half  a  mile  from  the  mouth  of  the 
cation  ;  biut  many  years  before  it  had  turned 
around  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  emptying  into 
the  river  several  miles  beljw.  The  old  creek  bed 
was  plainly  visible,  though  now  covered  with  tim- 
ber. Going  back  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from 
the  stream,  we  staked  two  bench  claims  upon  this 
old  creek  bed.  So  many  men  came  flooding  in 
that  the  whole  country  for  miles  around  was  soon 
staked. 

We  wished  to  satisfy  ourselves  as  to  the  ex- 
istence of  gold  upon  this  jreek,  so  we  went  some 
distance  up  the  cafion,  and  spent  several  hours 
panning  out  dirt  in  various  places  near  the  surface, 
and  the  tests  convinced  us  that  at  least  some  parts 
of  the  creek  contained  gold  in  paying  quantities, 
but  how  rich  yet  remained  to  be  proved. 

Two  weeks  prior  to  this  date,  two  men  had  been 
prospecting  this  creek,  and  had  made  the  dis- 
covery   that    it   contained    gold.     They   at   once 


.'."S 


206 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


III 


staked  seventeen  claims  for  themselves  and  the 
othe  members  of  their  company.  Then  they 
wrote  •  man's  name  with  a  number  on  a  slip  of 
paper,  anu  patting  all  together  in  a  hat,  drew  them 
out  one  by  one,  thus  locating  the  claims  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  give  the  absent  members  the  same 
chance  with  themselves. 

Then  they  returned  to  camp,  pledged  to  se- 
crecy, until  they  could  advise  other  personal 
friends  of  the  find,  and  let  them  in  "  on  the  ground 
floor."  But  one  of  their  number  had  a  friend 
whom  he  wished  to  favor,  and  he  told  him  of  the 
strike  ;  and  this  ocher  man  also  had  a  friend  to 
whom  he  communicated  his  secret,  and  in  this 
manner  the  secret  leaked  out.  When  the  party 
saw  that  it  was  known,  they  made  it  public,  arid 
the  rush  began.  Men  left  the  camp  at  all  hours 
of  the  night,  and  many  started  with  but  one  blan- 
ket and  very  little  provisions,  seeming  to  forget 
everything  in  their  eagerness  for  gold.  It  was 
told  of  one  man  that  when  he  heard  of  this  find» 
he  just  grabbed  two  biscuits,  and  ran.  Another 
took  with  him  but  a  single  loaf  of  bread  for  a  jour- 
ney of  ninety  miles,  round  trip,  saying  nothing  of 
the  time  it  would  take  him  to  locate  and  stake 
his  claim  after  he  got  there. 

We   saw   two   men   that    could   scarcely   walk, 


>,i 


-A 


Another  Mad  Rush  for  Claims         207 

who  claimed  to  have  made  the  entire  distance  of 
forty-five  miles  the  day  previous,  each  carrying  a 
pack  of  fully  forty  pounds.  This  might  not  be 
regarded  as  anything  wonderful  over  good  roads 
and  in  a  level  country,  but  under  conditions  which 
existed  here  it  was  certainly  a  remarkable  feat  of 
physical  endurance. 

Five  miles  below  Quartz  Creek  was  another 
stream  about  the  same  size,  which  also  emptied 
into  the  Tonsena.  We  thought  it  possible  that 
ti'is  might  also  contain  gold,  so  we  decided  to 
visit  it  before  returning  to  camp,  and  about  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon  set  out  through  the  thick 
forest  which  covered  the  valley  from  mountain  to 
mountain.  That  night  we  camped  within  i  mile 
of  the  creek,  and  in  the  morning  pushed  on,  reach- 
ing it  about  ten  o'clock. 

Starting  up  the  stream  we  soon  came  to  where 
some  one  who  had  preceded  us  had  marked  a  tree, 
and  written  his  name,  and  given  notice  that  he 
had  the  day  before  located  this  spot  as  his  claim, 
and  that  this  tree  was  his  north  center  stake. 
After  describing  his  claim,  and  attaching  his  signa- 
ture, he  added,  "  I  am  hungry,  and  have  nothing 
to  eat."  One  of  the  boys  took  a  pencil,  and  wrote 
under  it :  "  You  must  be  the  man  who  left  the 
rapids  with  only  two  biscuits." 


208 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


J  : 


We  remained  upon  this  creek  two  days,  and 
prospected  up  for  twelve  miles ;  but  not  finding 
anything  satisfactory,  and  having  only  beans  and 
rice  remaining  in  our  "  grub-sacks,"  and  these 
without  salt,  we  decided  to  commence  our  home- 
ward march,  knowing  that  our  home  trip  would 
consume  three  days,  and  before  that  time  even 
these  would  be  exhausted. 

At  dark  the  first  day  we  reached  the  lake,  only 
to  find  that  our  raft  was  gone.  Some  one  had 
crossed  upon  it,  and  had  left  it  on  the  other  side. 
A  small  one  was  there,  however,  belonging  to 
some  one  else,  and  on  this  we  crossed,  and  went 
into  camp. 

Some  men  who  had  heard  of  the  strike  had  just 
arrived,  and  had  come  about  oiio  hundred  miles, 
hoping  to  be  in  time  to  get  claims.  Of  course 
they  had  got  left,  as  there  were  none  for  them. 

The  next  morning  we  were  early  on  our  way, 
and  traveled  until  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
when  we  met  two  of  my  tent  mates  coming  out  to 
search  for  us.  We  had  been  expected  to  reach 
camp  four  days  before,  and  not  having  put  in  an 
appearance,  they  became  anxious  about  us,  and 
determined  to  institute  a  search,  and  if  possible 
learn  the  cause  of  this  delay.  They  of  course 
were  greatly  pleased  to  find  us  safe  and  sound,  and 


4-   [ 


^    Another  Mad  Rush  for  Claims       209 

turned  back  with  us,  and  three  miles  farther  on 
we  again  camped  for  the  night.  Resuming  our 
march  next  morning,  we  reached  our  camp  at 
Lake  Klutina  about  5  p,  M. 

We  were  sorry-looking  specimens  of  humanity, 
I  assure  you,  for  our  clothing  was  torn  into  shreds 
by  so  many  days'  scrambling  through  such  tangles 
of  brush  as  we  had  pushed  through  ;  but  we  were 
heartily  welcomed  by  the  boys  in  camp,  who  were 
anxious  to  learn  the  results  of  our  trip,  and  kjow 
why  we  had  remained  away  so  long. 


11 


14 


lit) 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE  TRIP  OVER  THE  GLACIER  AFTER  RUBBER 
.  BOOTS 

Some  months  before,  we  had  ordered  some  hip 
rubber  boots  for  each  man  in  the  company,  and 
in  our  absence  word  had  been  received  that  they 
were  at  our  store  at  Valdez  ;  so  it  became  neces- 
sary to  send  men  after  them. 

At  this  time  of  the  year  going  over  the  glacier 
was  a  most  dangerous  undertaking  ;  in  fact,  travel 
had  nearly  ceased  over  this  treacherous  field  of 
ice.  But  some  one  had  to  go,  and  as  was  my  cus- 
tom when  there  was  a  dangerous  piece  of  work 
to  be  done,  I  called  for  volunteers.  Several  men 
quickly  responded,  offering  their  services,  and  it 
was  finally  settled  that  Messrs.  Harry  E.  F.  King, 
Daniel  O'Connell,  Frank  Hoit,  and  Richard  Voigt 
should  be  sent. 

It  was  indeed  a  perilous  trip.  They  might  suc- 
ceed, and  come  back  to  us  ;  but  they  might  find  a 
grave  in  the  desolate  recesses  of  the  mighty  ice- 
mountain.  But  each  of  them  knew  well  what  the 
undertaking  was.     They  had  traversed  this  same 

210 


The  Trip  after  Rubber  Boots         211 


field  under  great  difficulties,  and  were  willing  to 
go  again. 

They  made  the  journey  to  Valdez  in  four  days, 
on  the  last  of  which  they  traveled  nearly  the 
whole  twenty-four  hours,  reaching  there  thor- 
oughly exhausted. 

A  good  rest  v/as  necessary  before  commencing 
their  return  trip,  but  they  were  detained  there  sev- 
eral days  more  than  they  had  expected  on  account 
of  a  fierce  storm  that  was  raging  along  the  coast. 

At  last  a  day  came  which  seemed  to  be  propi- 
tious for  their  start,  and  perhaps  I  can  not  do  better 
than  to  let  one  of  their  number,  Mr.  Harry  E.  F. 
King,  narrate  in  his  own  words  their  experience 
on  their  return  journey.     He  said  :  — 

•'  We  left  Valdez,  and  started  back  over  the 
glacier  on  Monday,  September  19,  at  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  Two  days  before  starting  two 
men  came  in,  and  told  us  that  they  had  been, 
caught  in  a  blizzard  on  the  summit,  and  that  five 
feet  of  snow  had  fallen,  so  we  knew  that  a  hard 
trip  lay  before  us.  There  was  no  snow  on  the 
glacier  below  the  fourth  bench,  and  we  made  good 
time  until  the  top  of  this  bench  was  reached. 
Here  we  struck  the  snow,  which  somewhat  retarded 
our  progress,  although  it  was  but  a  few  inches  in 
depth,  and  we  could  plainly  see  the  crevices. 


i  I 
f 

i 


212 


Go/d  Hunters   in    Alaska 


'•  We  pushed  on  to  the  fifth  bench,  where  we 
met  a  party  of  men  coming  out,  who  were  home- 
ward bound.  They  reported  five  feet  of  snow  on 
the  summit,  and  also  reported  that  on  the  oppo- 
site side,  near  the  top,  they  had  found  a  man 
dead. 

"  The  poor  fellow  proved  to  be  a  man  whom  we 
knew.  He  had  started  out  three  days  ahead  of 
us,  with  his  partner,  and  getting  caught  in  the  ter- 
rible blizzard,  had  perished.  He  had  died  of  ex- 
haustion, and  the  men  who  went  up  to  secure  and 
remove  the  dead  man's  body  found  his  partner 
insane,  and  removed  him  from  the  glacier. 

"  As  we  pushed  on  up  the  summit,  the  snow 
became  deeper  and  deeper,  and  the  crevices  were 
nearly  arched  over,  so  that  traveling  was  exceed- 
ingly dangerous.  To  add  to  our  troubles,  each 
man  of  us  carried  on  his  back  a  fifty-pound  pack  ; 
so  we  concluded  that  caution  was  no  sign  of  cow- 
ardice, and  stopping,  we  took  out  a  three-eighths 
inch  rope  about  one  hundred  feet  long  which  we 
had  brought  with  us  for  the  purpose,  and  tied  one 
end  to  my  waist,  then  the  next  man  about  thirty 
feet  farther  back  made  it  fast  to  his  waist,  and  so 
on  until  we  were  all  fastened  together.  Thus  strung 
together,  we  proceeded  on  over  the  crest  of  the 
summit,    and  about  thirty  feet  apart,  so  that  in 


The   Trip  after  Rubber  Boots         213 


case  one  of  us  should  fall  into  a  crevice,  the  others 
could  draw  him  out. 

"It  was  fearfully  cold,  and  the  wind  quickly 
blew  the  trail  full,  after  the  passage  of  each  man. 
I  kept  probing  the  snow  with  my  alpenstock  for 
crevices,  and  found  them  more  frequently  than 
was  desirable.  In  some  places  we  could  jump 
across  them,  but  in  many  places  we  were  obliged 
to  make  a  wide  detour.  It  gave  us  a  great  feeling 
of  safety  to  know  that  we  were  bound  together  by 
stronger  cies  than  those  of  friendship,  or  ties  of 
blood  —  bound  with  hempen  cords. 

"  The  snow  was  growing  deeper  as  we  advanced, 
and  we  sank  into  it  nearly  to  our  knees  at  every 
step,  and  with  our  heavy  packs  on  our  backs 
we  soon  became  very  weary.  The  thermometer 
was  hovering  about  zero,  and  we  began  to  fear 
that  we,  like  so  many  others,  might  become 
exhausted  and  not  be  able  to  reach  our  desti- 
nation. 

"  The  sun  went  down,  and  night  closed  in  while 
we  had  yet  many  miles  to  make  before  reaching 
our  sleeping  bags,  which  we  had  left  at  the  foot  of 
the  glacier  on  our  way  out.  We  knew  that  this 
part  of  the  glacier  was  well  torn  up,  or  rather  rent 
asunder,  and  contained  many  yawning  chasms. 
The  only  thing,  however,  for  us  to  do  was  to  keep 


214 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


I 


going,  so  we  went  on,  carefully  feeling  every  foot 
of  the  way  with  our  alpenstocks. 

"  Any  one  who  has  not  been  there  can  not 
imagine  the  absolute  solitude  of  the  top  of  that 
glacier.  Bordered  on  the  east  and  west  by  gigan- 
tic mountain  ranges,  and  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach  north  and  south  nothing  but  snow  and  ice 
comes  within  the  sweep  of  vision.  And  these  a  ^ 
cut  and  seamed  at  this  season  of  the  year 
countless  crevices  and  chasms. 

"  Not  a  single  living  creature  within  sight  or 
sound  of  us  four,  as  we  trudged  slowly  and  wearily 
down,  till  at  midnight  v/e  reuv'hed  the  lower  mo- 
raine, a  name  given  to  a  fiv^-n\ile  stretch  of  the 
glacier  whose  descent  is  only  moderately  steep, 
and  begins  about  three  miles  rom  the  summit. 
We  were  still  tied  together,  and  so  tired  that  we 
could  go  no  more  than  fifty  to  seventy-five  feet 
without  stopping  to  rest,  but  the  intense  cold 
would  soon  drive  us  to  our  feet  again. 

"We  kept  on  until  1:30  A.  M.,  when  we  could 
go  no  farther.  We  had  been  twenty-one  and  a 
half  hours  continuously  on  the  trail,  so  taking  off 
our  packs  we  made  a  pile  of  them,  and  while  three 
of  us  kept  tramping  up  and  down,  the  fourth  man 
lay  down  and  slept  ten  minutes.  The  extreme 
cold  made  it  unsafe  tc  sleep  longer  at  a  time,  but 


IF 


'      The  Trip  after  Rubber  Boots         215 

by  taking  turns,  we  each  obtained  a  little  rest, 
and  at  four  o'clock  we  started  on  again,  reaching 
our  sleeping  bags  at  seven  in  the  morning.  At 
nine  o'clock  we  turned  in,  and  slept  until  six  in 
the  evening.  Then  we  got  out  for  supper,  and 
soon  after  again  took  to  our  bags  for  the  night, 
sleeping  soundly  until  daybreak,  when  we  awoke 
much   refreshed. 

"  From  this  point  we  had  to  carry  our  sleeping 
outfit,  which  increased  our  burden  to  fully  seventy 
pounds  to  the  man, —  our  pack  of  rubber  boots,  it 
will  be  remembered,  was  fifty  pounds, —  and  had 
two  more  days  of  hard  travel  ahead  of  us  to  reach 
Lake  Klutina.  But  we  made  it,  mentally  vowing 
never  to  take  that  trip  again  at  this  season  of 
the  year." 


11 1 


CHAPTER  XXII 

PREPARING  WINTER   QUARTERS 

The  weather  was  gradually  getting  colder,  ?.nd 
the  Indians  told  us  that  "  in  two  moons,  ears  break 
off;  fingers  break  off  ;  "  and  as  it  would  take  us 
some  time  to  build  comfortable  quarters,  we 
decided   it   was  time  to  commence  them. 

A  few  camperii  were  making  preparations  to 
spend  the  winter  upon  the  little  island,  but  we 
knew  that  during  the  long  months  of  cold  weather 
chilly  winds  would  sweep  up  and  down  t'le  valley, 
and  considered  that  that  place  would  be  too  much 
exposed,  and  so  decided  to  move. 

The  larger  portion  of  the  campers  had  already 
moved  down,  and  were  building  their  cabins  along 
the  river  At  the  head  of  the  rapids,  five  miies 
below  the  foot  of  the  lake,  a  little  village  had  been 
started,  and  fully  two  hundred  people  were  there 
preparing  places  in  which  to  spend  the  long,  cold, 
and  dreary  winter. 

In   the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  village  there 

seemed  to  be  a  scarcity  of  wood,  although  plenty 

could  be  obtained  by  carryii 

210 


it  a  few  hundred 


I'  •; 


z 

> 
w 

■z 


is 


^  It 


i 


i 

'I 


Preparing  Winter  Quarters  217 

yards.  But  we  feared  that  there  might  be  times 
before  spring  when  even  this  little  distance  might 
prove  a  very  serious  matter. 

At  the  foot  of  the  lake  was  also  a  settlement  of 
perhaps  a  hundred  people  who  were  still  living  in 
tents,  and  the  larger  portion  of  them  were  intend- 
ing to  move  farther  into  the  interior  to  spend  the 
winter.  About  hal.way  from  the  foot  of  the  lake 
to  the  rapids  was  a  dense  forest.  Here  several 
of  the  campers  with  whom  we  were  the  most  ac- 
quainte  had  located,  and  were  busy  building  their 
winter  quarters.  '  lere  was  an  abundance  of  timber 
with  which  to  bun  '  and  plenty  for  fuel ;  and  here 
also  we  would  be  much  heltered  from  driving 
winds.  So  we  decided  to  m?Ve  this  spot  our  home, 
and  selected  a  site  upon  which  to  build  our  cabin- 
As  soon  as  the  four  men  had  returiiod  from 
Valdez  with  our  rubber  boots,  •  e  broke  camp, 
loaded  our  boats  with  goods,  and  started  down 
the  lake.  The  breeze  was  so  light  tb  t  we  made 
slow  progress,  and  the  first  night  v  t  into  camp 
only  seven  miles  down  from  the  island.  The 
next  morning  there  was  not  a  ripple  on  the  water, 
so  getting  out  the  oars  we  put  in  a  hard  day's 
work  rowing  ;  but  our  boats  were  so  heavily  laden 
that  we  only  made  twelve  miles,  and  we  aga'n 
landed  and  passed  the  second  night  on  shore. 


i 


218 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


P 


On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  there  was  a 
little  breeze  blowing  down  the  lake,  and  after 
breakfast  we  hoisted  some  sail,  and  moved  slowly 
on  our  course,  keeping  close  in  shore,  so  we  could 
land  in  case  a  sudden  storm  arose,  as  it  often  does 
at  this  season  of  the  year,  and  was  as  likely  as  not 
to  come  without  giving  us  any  warning  of  its  ap- 
proach. Several  men  who  had  preceded  us  had 
not  taken  this  precaution,  and  had  allowed  their 
boats  to  drift  away  from  shore,  when  a  storm  came 
up  suddenly,  and  before  they  could  make  shore, 
their  boats  were  swamped. 

The  breeze  which  favored  us  in  the  early  morn- 
ing died  away  before  noon,  and  we  were  again 
obliged  to  take  to  the  oars.  The  afternoon  was 
far  advanced  when  we  reached  the  little  village  at 
the  foot  of  the  lake,  but  the  place  selected  for  our 
winter  camp  was  two  and  a  half  miles  down  the 
river  from  the  lake,  and  the  current  being  swift, 
we  had  some  fears  about  our  being  able  to  make 
the  landing  with  our  heavily  loaded  boats  where 
we  desired  ;  so  ;ve  sent  two  men  ahead,  to  catch 
our  bow-line,  when  we  shouM  throw  it,  and  pull 
us  in  shore. 

Giving  our  men  half  an  hour  start,  we  loosed 
our  boats,  and  pulled  out  into  the  stream,  and 
were  soon  going  at  an  exciting  speed  down  stream. 


-V 


Preparing   Winter  Quarters  219 

The  men  had  barely  reached  the  landing  when 
our  advance  boat  hove  in  sight,  and  throwing  them 
our  line,  we  were  speedily  pulled  in  shore.  One 
after  another  our  boats  arrived,  and  were  made 
fast,  and  soon  the  entire  fleet  were  resting  safely, 
side  by  side,  on  the  gravel  bar. 

Near  the  landing  was  a  grassy  plot  upon  which 
no  timber  grew,  and  here  we  set  up  our  tents,  and 
cached  our  goods  as  they  were  unloaded,  until 
such  a  time  as  we  could  build  for  them  a  substan- 
tial storehouse. 

One  more  boat  load  of  goods  remained  at  the 
island  we  had  left,  and  the  next  morning  a  large 
number  of  men  hauled  a  boat  up  the  swift  current 
of  the  river  to  the  lake,  where  luckily  a  breeze  was 
blowing  in  the  right  direction.  So  hoisting  sail, 
three  men  swung  out  up  the  lake  after  them,  and 
the  others  reiur  ^ed  to  camp,  and  began  in  earnest 
the  work  of  building  our  cabins  and  storehouse  for 
our  goods  for  the  winter. 


li 


¥ 


CHAPTER    XXIII 


"JIM"  AND    HIS   DONKEY 


I     ':.M 


One  night  a  member  of  our  company,  whom  I 
will  call  "Jim,"  on  returning  from  the  little  village 
at  the  lake,  informed  us  that  he  had  been  given  a 
donkey,  and  wished  to  return  next  day  and  bring 
him  down.  These  animals  were  valuable  in  this 
country,  and  while  some  of  the  boys  were  congrat- 
ulating him  on  his  having  received  such  a  valu'^.ble 
gift,  others  declared  it  was  some  old  crowbait  of  a 
beast,  too  old  to  eat,  and  too  poor  to  stand  up 
alone.  Jim's  reply  was  that  the  donkey  was  not 
too  old  to  eat,  but  was  all  right,  and  in  the  very 
pink  of  condition,  as  they  would  see  when  he 
returned  with  it.  He  said  that  he  had  refused  two 
offers  for  him  already,  thinking  that  if  he  was  val- 
uable to  others,  he  would  be  to  us. 

Some  of  us  had  been  planning  another  prospect- 
ing trip  a  long  way  over  the  mountains,  which 
would  be  a  very  hard  one,  and  had  been  thinking 
that  this  donkey  might  be  just  the  thing  for  this 
occasion,  to  carry  some  of  our  luggage.  While 
we  were  discussing  the   matter,   I  noticed  a  sly 

220 


ilj 


"yijiw  "  and  His  Donkey 


221 


wink  in  Jim's  eye,  but  kept  still,  deciding  to  wait 
until  I  should  see  him   before   making  comments. 

The  next  morning,  as  soon  as  breakfast  was  over, 
Jim  took  a  piece  of  rope,  and  started  off  up  the 
trail.  The  men  went  to  work  cutting  timber  for 
our  buildings,  and  Jim  and"  his  donkey  were  soon 
forgotten. 

The  day's  work  was  over,  and  we  were  all  inside 
our  tents  eating  sapper,  when  suddenly  we  heard 
the  braying  of  a  mule  a  short  distance  up  the  trail. 
Talk  about  a  scramble  !  Coffee  was  upset,  plates 
of  victuals  turned  upside  down,  and  every  one 
sought  to  be  first  outside,  to  see  Jim's  donkey 
—  and  we  all  saw  it.  Donkey.?  —  Yes.  But  it  was 
no  bigger  than  a  good-sized  dog,  and  was  just  ^wo 
months  old! 

We  were  told  —  and  it  was  no  doubt  true  — that 
this  was  the  first  young  donkey  born  in  this  frozen 
country,  and  we  thought  that  very  likely  it  might 
not  be  long  before  he  would  wish  that  he  had  n't 
been  born  at  all,  or  it  had  happened  somewhere 
else.  We  all  prophesied  that  he  was  too  young  to 
eat  grass,  and  being  taken  from  his  mother  at  such 
an  early  age,  would  not  live,  but  Jim  said  he  could 
soon  teach  him  to  eat,  which  he  proved  to  us,  for 
in  a  few  days  he  would  drink  dishwater,  eat  pan- 
cakes, beans,  rice,  bread,  potatoes,  and  even  meat 


I 


222 


Gold  Hunters   m   Alaska 


'■»■' 

\ 

|H|i 

l' 

I   r    \ 

In  fact,  he  eagerly  devoured  all  the  scraps  coming 
from  the  table. 

We  have  regretted  that  our  kodak  fiend  was 
not  present,  for  Jim's  donkey  and  our  crowd  of 
admirers  would  have  furnished  the  very  cream  of 
a  picture  for  any  comic  collection  desired. 

During  the  day,  when  let  loose,  he  would  follow 
the  boys  about  their  work  like  a  pet  sheep.  He 
also  served  as  watchdog,  for  any  approaching  foot- 
steps during  the  night  would  be  a  signal  for  him  to 
elevate  his  nose,  open  his  mouth,  and  send  forth 
upon  the  still  night  air  such  a  succession  of  brays  as 
would  awaken  every  sleeper  in  camp.  Many  a  man, 
when  thus  awakened,  would  breathe  out  cruelty 
toward  Jim's  pet,  but  when  morning  came,  would 
have  only  feelings  of  tenderness  toward  him,  and 
declare  that  Jim's  donkey  was  all  right. 

Most  of  the  men  in  camp  had  left  some  tender 
ties  behind  them  in  the  home-land  from  whence 
thay  had  come,  and  however  rough  the  exterior 
might  appear,  or  whatever  expressions  of  thought- 
lessness might  escape  them,  still  there  was  hidden 
away  beneath  this  exterior  something  very  tender  ; 
and  a  young  thing  like  this,  which  had  begun  its 
little  life  away  up  here  in  this  desolate  country, 
motherless,  and  friendless  (except  for  us),  and  so 
trusting  withal,  who  could  harm  him  }  who  could 


^'  Jim  "  and  His  Donkey 


223 


wonder  that  within  a  very  short  tinne  he  was  as 
much  the  pet  of  the  whole  company  as  he  was 
Jim's  ? 

The  site  selected  upon  which  to  build  our  winter 
fortress  was  back  from  the  river  some  seventy-five 
yards.  Here  the  moss  covering  the  ground  was 
six  inches  in  thickness,  and  so  full  of  mice  that 
they  very  soon  became  a  source  of  much  annoy- 
ance to  us.  They  were  industrious  workers,  for 
when  they  were  fortunate  enough  to  come  across 
one  of  our  sacks  of  beans,  rice,  corn,  or  pearl 
barley,  they  would  carry  loads  of  it — that  is,  mice 
loads  —  to  stow  away  in  any  nook  or  corner  which 
promised  a  simple  and  convenient  storehouse  for 
them  for  their  winter  supplies.  Our  boots  and 
coat  pockets  seemed  especial  favorites  for  such 
uses,  and  it  was  very  common  to  find  from  a  tea- 
cupful  to  a  pint  of  some  of  these  articles  in  our 
boots  or  pockets. 

Their  depredations  were  so  great  that  it  was 
thought  best  to  build  our  storehouse  first,  before 
we  did  our  cabins,  for  we  could  sleep  under  tents 
with  no  great  inconvenience  yet  for  some  time, 
but  we  could  ill  afford  to  see  our  stores  of  provi- 
sions, which  we  had  "toted"  for  so  many  weary 
miles,  mostly  on  our  backs,  being  wasted  thus  by 
these  little  intruders. 


i 


r 


224 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


I  III? 


I 


We  decided  to  build  it  fourteen  by  sixteen  feet, 
and  set  it  on  posts  six  feet  from  the  ground, 
placing  on  the  top  of  the  posts  large  inverted  tin 
cans,  so  our  little  "  night-thieves  "  could  not  climb 
up  them.  The  floor  was  made  of  poles  large 
enough  to  hold  our  fifteen  tons  of  provisions. 
The  sides  were  made  of  logs,  and  the  top  of  poles 
covered  with  moss,  and  a  thin  layer  of  earth. 
Before  this  storehouse  was  completed  we  had 
brought  down  the  remainder  of  our  goods,  a  com- 
plete inventory  was  taken,  and  they  were  stored 
away  for  winter. 

Our  cabins,  in  which  to  spend  the  winter,  were 
the  next  thing  to  engage  our  attention.  We 
planned  to  build  two,  sixteen  by  twenty  feet 
inside,  with  a  fireplace  in  one  end  of  each.  By 
the  first  of  October  these  were  well  under  way,  at 
which  time  I  had  decided  to  return  to  the  States 
rather  than  spend  the  long  winter  in  the  frozen 
North. 


N  ? 


J^f.l  ?I"I"JH  I  ^.1 


H 

o 

m 

X 

o 

c 

m 

Tl 

O 

■33 

-0 
3] 
O 

< 

O 

z 


I 


fl 


ilH 


j 

H 

■Bm' 

s 

CHAPTER  XXIV 

PREPARING   TO   RETURN  TO   THE   STATES 

I  INFORMED  my  friends  from  Hornellsville,  and 
together  we  discussed  the  matter,  coming  to  the 
conclusion  that  we  would  all  of  us  sever  our  con- 
nection from  the  company,  believing  we  could  do 
much  better  alone.  This  was  done  with  many  re- 
grets, for  the  boys  were  like  brothers  to  us,  and 
our  relations  with  them  for  all  these  months  had 
been  the  most  cordial  possible. 

The  matter  was  brought  before  the  directors, 
and  a  satisfactory  division  of  the  provisions  and 
other  goods  effected.  Resigning  my  position  as 
general  superintendent,  vice-president,  and  direc- 
tor, I  began  making  preparations  for  my  return 
home.  My  goods  had  to  be  disposed  of,  and  many 
other  things  to  be  done,  which  kept  me  busy  for 
several  days. 

While  thus  occupied,  there  came  to  our  camp 

two  brothers,    Jesse  and    Harry   Butler,  of    Cla- 

rinda,  Iowa,   and    Charles    Barker,  of  Salamanca, 

N.  Y.,who  said  they  had  sold  out,  and  were  about 

to  return  to  the  States.     They  had  heard  that  I 
15  225 


it 


i;! 


226 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


if 

114  :|: 
■f  iff  |; 


was  going,  and  thought  that  we  might  travel  in 
company.  This  was  gladly  agreed  to,  and  Oc- 
tober 8  was  the  day  set  for  our  start. 

The  glacier  over  which  we  had  come  in  the 
spring  was  now  exceeding  dangerous  to  attempt  to 
cross,  and  hearing  that  the  trip  had  been  made 
easily  in  four  days  by  way  of  Copper  River,  we 
decided   to  go   that  way. 

The  distance  down  the  Klutina  to  the  Copper 
River  was  thirty-five  miles,  and  the  whole  distance 
was  over  continuous  rapids,  the  current  being  so 
swift  that  it  took  but  one  hour  and  forty  minutes 
to  shoot  them.  But  one  can  easily  imagine  what 
a  perilous  trip  this  would  be.  We  were  told  that 
not  more  than  one  out  of  four  boats  that  made  the 
attempt  ever  reached  its  destination  in  safety. 
Not  caring  to  take  so  many  chances  with  our  lives 
and  property,  we  decided  to  pack  our  goods  to 
Copper  River,  and  proceed  by  boat  from  there. 

Two  of  my  friends  belonging  to  the  Manhattan 
Mining  Company,  of  New  York,  were  going  down 
to  Copper  Center,  a  little  village  of  about  three 
hundred  people  situated  at  the  junction  of  the 
Klutina  and  Copper  Rivers,  and  they  kindly  con- 
sented to  assist  me  down  with  my  goods.  My 
companions  had  engaged  a  horse  to  help  them 
down    with    theirs. 


Preparing  to  Return  to  the  States     227 

The  eighth  of  October  came,  the  sun  shone  out 
beautifully,  and  the  day  was  perfect.  The  time 
had  come  to  say  good-by  to  my  friends,  I  to  go, 
and  they  to  stay.  This  was  no  easy  thing  to  do. 
We  had  shared  a  thousand  hardships,  and  been 
companions  in  many  dangers,  and  it  was  like  leav- 
ing brothers.  It  was  afternoon  when  I  gave  the 
final  handshake  and  set  off  with  my  companions 
down  the  trail. 


ir 


*:  ■/.. 


CHAPTER  XXV 


TRIP   DOWN   THE   RIVER 


Two  nights  we  camped  on  the  road,  and  about 
noon  the  third  day  we  reached  Copper  Center. 
After  dinner  we  went  out  and  found  the  boat  on 
which  we  were  to  make  the  trip  to  the  coast.  It 
was  strong  and  well  made,  and  capable,  as  we 
thought,  of  standing  almost  any  tests  which  it 
might  be  the  fortune  of  navigation  to  require  of  it, 
and  in  moderately  smooth  water  had  a  carrying 
capacity  of  about  one  and  one-fourth  tons.  It  had 
two  sets  of  oarlocks,  five  oars,  and  two  steering 
paddies.  We  loaded  into  it  our  effects, —  not  a 
very  large  amount  were  we  to  bring  back, —  and 
took  ship  ourselves  ready  for  a  start. 

A  Siwash  Indian,  who  happened  to  be  at  Cop- 
per Center,  but  whose  home  was  forty  niles  down 
the  river,  asked  the  privilege  of  accompanying  us 
as  far  as  his  home  ;  and  we  were  more  than  glad 
to  grant  his  request,  as  the  stream  was  practically 
unknown  to  us,  while  every  kink  and  curve  and 
snag  was  familiar  to  him. 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  pushed 

228 


o 
o 

-o 

m 

o 
m 

z 

H 

m 

■J3 


i 


111 
III 


I 

■■•! 
I 


r  ■ 


i 

..i* 


Slj 


Trip  Down  the  River 


2,2>9> 


out  into  the  swift  current  of  the  river,  and  were 
borne  rapidly  down  stream.  The  day  was  bright 
and  beautiful,  and  we  looked  forward  to  a  pleasant 
trip,  expecting  that  four  days  would  take  us  to 
Orea,  where  we  were  to  take  ship  to  Seattle.  We 
had  provided  ourselves  with  eight  days'  rations, 
allowing  for  four  days  of  unexpected  delay. 

When  about  ten  miles  down,  just  as  the  shades 
of  evening  were  settling  over  mountain  and 
stream,  we  came  to  an  Indian's  house,  and  our 
Indian  pilot  informed  us  that  this  was  a  good 
place  to  camp  for  the  night.  So  we  ran  into  a 
little  cove,  landed,  built  our  camp  fire,  and  pre- 
pared supper. 

Several  Indian  women  and  children  came  down, 
and  eagerly  watched  the  food  as  it  was  being  pre- 
pared. We  judged  that  they  were  hungry,  and 
gave  them  some,  which  they  ate  ravenously  ;  then 
they  returned  to  their  house,  and  sent  a  new  dele- 
gation down  after  more  food.  These  did  not  fare 
so  well. 

Just  as  we  were  finishing  our  supper  a  young 
Indian  lad  about  fourteen  years  old  came  up  from 
the  river  banks  to  the  fire,  his  clothing  dripping 
with  water,  and  with  a  broad  grin  on  his  counte- 
nance gave  us  to  understand  that  he  had  just  come 
down    the    river   from  Copper  Center  on    a   stick 


230 


Gold  Hunters  in   Alaska 


\W 


■),i. 


'' 


cano.  (raft)  to  see  his  clutchman  (girl).  We 
examined  his  raft.  It  was  made  of  two  sticks 
seven  inches  in  diameter  and  seven  feet  long,  tied 
together,  and  upon  this,  with  his  feet  hanging  in 
the  water,  and  the  thermometer  at  zero,  he  had 
ridden  ten  miles  down  the  swift  Copper  River  this 
dark  night  just  to  see  his  girl. 

I  wondered  how  often  the  young  men  of  the 
States  would  go  to  see  their  best  girls,  if  it  had  to 
be  done  under  such  difficulties,  and  with  such  a 
conveyance.  I  wondered,  too,  how  they  would  be 
received  if  they  walked  into  the  presence  of  their 
lady  love  looking  as  much  like  a  drowned  rat  as 
did  this  young  Indian.  But  love  is  love,  whether 
in  the  breast  of  an  uncultured  savage  or  a  white 
aristocrat. 

After  supper  we  went  to  return  the  calls  of  our 
dusky  visitors.  The  outside  door  of  the  house  we 
found  not  over  three  feet  in  height,  and  only 
eighteen  inches  wide.  We  did  not  ring  the  door- 
bell, nor  did  we  rap,  for  a  buckskin  latch-string 
was  hanging  outside,  which  we  gave  a  vigorous 
pull,  and  immediately  the  door  opened.  We  got 
down  upon  all  fours,  and  crawled  inside. 

The  house  v  as  built  of  logs,  one  story  high,  and 
about  eighteen  by  twenty  feet  in  size.  It  had  no 
windows,  light   coming   from   an    opening   in    the 


Trip  Down  the  River 


231 


center  of  the  roof  about  six  feet  square.  Upon 
each  side,  and  running  the  entire  length,  was  an 
elevation — a  Yankee  would  call  it  a  wide  shelf — 
about  four  feet  from  the  ground  and  about  the 
same  in  width,  and  upon  these  the  member  of  the 
household,  as  well  as  their  company,  sit,  and  here 
we  found  the  occupants  now. 

The  members  of  the  household,  in  this  instance, 
were  fifteen  in  number,  ranfying  from  the  gray- 
haired  grandsire  of  seventy  or  more  to  a  wee  baby 
of  perhaps  a  month  old.  This  baby  was  placed  in 
a  little  wooden  tray  just  the  length  of  its  body, 
and  over  it  was  another  similar  to  it,  except  that 
this  was  cut  off  just  below  or  at  the  neck.  These 
were  strapped  together,  and  hung  up  in  the  center 
of  the  room  from  overhead,  and  kept  swinging  by 
any  one  of  their  number  who  moved  about  the 
room. 

Their  sleeping  apartment  was  a  long,  narrow 
wing  built  upon  one  side  of  the  main  house,  and 
entered  from  it  by  a  door  similar  to  the  other,  low 
and  narrow.  Their  beds  were  of  blankets  and  the 
skins  of  wild  animals,  arranged  in  a  row  upon  the 
ground.  In  this  one  room  the  entire  household 
sleep,  no  matter  how  large. 

At  the  rear  end  of  the  house  was  a  small  door, 
also,  leading    into   a    cave,  which    is    used    by  the 


i 


n 


232 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


Indians  as  a  bathroom,  and  in  this  little  under- 
ground room  they  take  a  sweat  bath  every  day. 
They  build  a  fire  around  large  stones,  heating 
them  very  hot.  When  sufficiently  heated,  two 
Indians  generally  enter,  and  take  their  baths 
together.  Pouring  water  on  the  stones,  a  steam 
arises,  which  very  soon  starts  a  copious  sweating, 
when  they  begin  to  switch  each  other  with  small 
switches  made  of  a  handful  of  small  boughs  of 
some  tree,  until  the  bath  is  considered  finished. 
This  usually  lasts  about  fifteen  minutes,  and  until 
perspiration  is  coming  from  every  pore.  They 
then  come  from  their  bathroom,  rush  down  to  the 
banks  of  the  Copper  River,  stop  a  moment  to 
cross  themselves,  and  take  a  headlong  plunge  into 
its  cold  waves.  After  a  moment  or  two  of  this 
cold  plunge  bath,  they  come  out,  and  often  si  ton 
a  log,  or  stand  and  talk  for  ten  or  fifteen  minutes, 
before  returning  for  their  clothes.  When  we  were 
there  they  stood  entirely  naked,  and  talked  fully 
ten  minutes,  when  the  weather  was  so  cold  that 
we  wore  our  overcoats,  and  were  cold  at  that. 
And  this  we  were  told  was  their  daily  practice. 
It  was  a  mystery  to  me  how  those  people  could 
come  out  of  that  hot  place  steaming  like  a  loco- 
motive, and  while  the  mercury  was  at  zero  or 
below,  go  down  and  plunge  into  the  icy  water  ; 


Trip  Down  the  River 


233 


and  after  such  a  plunge,  come  out,  and  sit  or  stand 
for  so  many  minutes  without  a  shiver  or  twinge  of 
muscle. 

On  first  entering  their  room,  we  noticed  upon 
our  right,  sitting  in  the  center  of  the  elevation, 
an  aged  Indian  more  gaudily  dressed  than  any  of 
the  others.  He  had  large  rings  in  his  ears,  and 
another  in  his  nose,  and  his  clothing,  which  was 
made  of  caribou  skins,  was  profusely  decorated 
with  beads,  bears'  and  eagles'  claws,  and  brass 
trinkets.  He  beckoned  us  to  him,  one  by  one,  and 
extending  his  hand,  gave  each  of  us  a  hearty 
handshake,  and  motioned  us  to  sit  down,  thus 
giving  us  to  understand  that  we  were  welcome. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  room,  reclining  on  a 
bed  of  skins,  was  an  old  man  whose  pinched  and 
haggard  face  betokened  suffering.  We  pointed  to 
this  old  man,  and  asked  the  chief  the  cause.  He 
replied,  "Sick,  sick."  Then  pointing  first  to  his 
mouth  and  then  to  his  stomach,  he  added,  "  No 
muck-muck"  (food).  He  meant  by  this  that  the 
old  man  could  not  eat. 

Then  pointing  to  each  finger  and  thumb  of  both 
hands,  as  if  counting  them,  he  raised  his  hands  to 
his  own  closed  eyes,  and  said,  in  a  sorrowful  tone, 
"  Die,  die."  By  this  we  understood  that  in  ten 
"sleeps,"  or  ten  days,  the  old  man  would  die. 


;! 


sea 


.1    ! 


fi    IIP   ■'»! 


:t» 


,:ll^ 


h 


234 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


I  crossed  over  to  where  he  was  lying,  and  took 
him  by  the  hand.  He  seemed  to  have  a  high 
fever  of  some  kind.  I  pointed  to  him,  and  asked  : 
"  Is  Siwash  sick  .-'"  He  gave  his  head  a  slow  nod, 
and  began  counting  his  fingers  as  the  chief  had 
done,  and  in  a  mournful  voice  said,  "Siwash  die." 

I  gave  him  some  quinine,  and  told  him  how  to 
take  it,  and  tried  to  impress  on  his  mind  that  he 
would  not  die  in  ten  *'  sleeps,"  but  it  was  all  in 
vain.  It  seemed  to  be  so  thoroughly  impressed 
upon  his  mind  that  he  would  die  in  ten  days  that 
I  have  little  doubt  but  that  he  did  die  in  the 
appointed  time. 

A  young  Indian  came  over  to  where  I  was 
standing  by  the  sick  man,  and  in  the  few  words  of 
English  at  his  command,  told  me  how  the  old  man 
would  die  in  ten  days  ;  and  then  motioned  how  a 
grave  would  be  dug,  the  old  man  lowered  into  it 
and  covered  up  with  earth, —  all  in  the  old  man's 
presence.  It  must  have  been  sorry  comfort  for 
the  poor   old  man. 

Across  the  room,  in  one  corner,  sat  the  young 
Indian  who  had  come  down  the  river  on  his  stick 
canoe  to  see  his  girl.  Beside  him  sat  a  young 
girl,  perhaps  ten  years  old,  the  one  for  whom  he 
had  braved  the  cold  waters,  coming  ten  miles  with 
his  feet  hanging  in   the  cold  Copper  River.     He 


Trip  Down  the  River 


235 


would  look  at  us,  and  then  at  the  girl,  and  giggle. 
She  would  look  at  us,  and  back  at  him,  and  giggle. 
We  had  little  doubt  but  that  they  understood  each 
other,  though  not  a  word  was  spoken. 

We  remained  there  about  an  hour,  when  we 
returned  to  our  camp,  crawled  into  our  sleeping 
bags,  and  were  soon  away  in  dreamland. 

The  next  morning  dawned  clear  and  cold.  The 
little  cove  into  which  we  had  pulled  our  boat  was 
frozen  over,  and  it  was  fa^t  in  ice.  Axes  were 
brought,  and  soon  an  opening  was  chopped  out 
into  the  main  stream.  Breakfast  over,  our  camp 
outfit  was  soon  loaded  in,  and  we  were  again  float- 
ing down  toward  civilization. 

We  soon  learned  that  our  Siwash  friend,  who 
was  our  guide  and  pilot,  was  the  chief  medicine 
man  of  the  whole  tribe,  and  he  must  stop  at  every 
Indian  house  along  the  route  to  ascertain  if  any 
sick  were  there,  which  frequently  was  the  case. 
This  gave  us  an  excellent  opportunity  of  seeing 
the  Indians  in  their  homes. 

During  the  day  we  came  to  a  small  Indian 
village.  A  few  cabins  were  clustered  together 
around  a  large  one,  which  was  the  home  of  the 
chief,  Nickoli. 

We  followed  our  guide  into  one  of  the  cabins, 
where  he  gave  us  to  understand  that  the  chief's 


! 


,w 


i  1 


■i     • 


w 


r 


W 


f 


236 


Go/d  Hunters   in   Alaska 


sister  was  sick.  We  found  two  old  women  sitting 
upon  the  ground  floor  of  the  cabin  near  a  fire  ;  one 
of  them  being  the  sick  woman  referred  to.  She 
was  a  mere  skeleton  ;  her  face  was  haggard  and 
wrinkled,  and  she  looked  as  if  she  might  have 
begun  life  about  with  the  century. 

The  medicine  man  spoke  a  few  words  to  her  in 
the  Indian  tongue,  unintelligible,  of  course,  to  us  ; 
then  going  to  the  side  of  the  cabin,  took  a  cup, 
and  taking  a  small  package  from  his  pocket,  which 
contained  some  kind  of  leaves,  emptied  a  small 
amount  into  the  cup,  upon  which  he  poured  a 
little  warm  water.  He  then  went  behind  the  sick 
woman,  as  she  sat  upon  the  ground,  and  clasping 
both  his  hands  around  the  cup,  rested  the  bottom 
on  the  bowed  head  of  the  patient.  Then  look- 
ing upward,  and  puckering  up  his  mouth  as  if  to 
whistle,  he  gave  two  or  three  hard  blows,  as  if  to 
blow  the  disease  away.  He  then  let  go  with  one 
hand,  passed  it  back  and  forth  several  times  over 
the  cup,  and  raising  it  heavenward,  gave  several 
beckoning  motions,  as  if  calling  a  blessing  upon 
the  medicine.  Then  he  looked  down  toward  the 
cup,  at  the  same  time  placing  his  hand  over  the 
top  of  it.  For  a  mornent  he  remained  motionless, 
then  handing  the  cup  to  the  sick  woman,  she 
slowly  drank  its  contents.     Handing  the  cup  back 


X 
X 

m 
m 

■n 

> 
S 


'fl 


Trip  Down  the  River 


237 


to  the  doctor,  he  went  through  about  the  same 
ceremony,  aou  set  the  cup  back  upon  the  shelf. 

Seeing  that  he  had  done  all  for  the  sick  woman 
that  he  intended  to  do,  w2  reminded  him  that  we 
must  be  going  ;  so  crawling  back  through  the  low 
door  by  which  we  had  entered,  we  returned  to  our 
boat,  stepped  into  it,  pushed  out,  and  soon  the  little 
Indian  village  was  far  out  of  sight. 

All  day  long  Mounts  Sanford,  Doum,  and  Black- 
burn, with  their  snow-capped  peaks,  as  well  as  the 
dome-shaped  top  of  Mount  Tillman,  out  of  which 
were  still  rising  volumes  of  smoke,  could  be  plainly 
seen. 

During  the  afternoon,  while  we  were  stopping 
at  an  Indian  cabin,  a  boat  nearly  the  size  of  our 
own,  containing  four  men,  passed  us  on  its  way 
down  the  river.  The  afternoon  was  far  advanced 
when  we  came  in  sight  of  the  home  of  our  Siwash 
guide.  Just  before  reaching  his  cabin  we  saw  the 
party  who  had  recently  passed  us,  having  gone 
iiiLw  ^rn.p  for  the  night  but  a  few  hundred  yards 
from  his  house. 

Our  guide  had  invited  us  to  camp  near  his  place 
overnight,  so  bringing  our  boat  ashore,  we  un- 
loaded our  outfit,  and  began  looking  for  a  suitable 
place.  There  was  no  wood  near  for  our  camp 
fire,  so  our  Indian   friend  went  up  to  his   cabin, 


[ 


f..iii*K..;i«jiaa<l»««j!*«i»,»;,, 


I' 

! 


238 


Go/d  Hunters  in  Alaska 


\ 


WA 


and  soon  two  Indian  women  came  down  to  us  with 
large  armfuls  of  wood,  ready  cut. 

We  noticed  several  large  silver  salmon  hanging 
upon  a  rack  near  the  river,  where  they  had  been 
recently  caught.  We  decided  to  have  one  of  them 
for  our  supper,  if  possible,  so  we  made  our  wants 
known  to  a  small  Indian  boy  standing  near,  and 
he  ran  quickly  up  to  the  cabin,  and  soon  an  o'  ' 
woman  came  down  to  make  the  sale.  We  traded 
two  cups  of  beans  for  an  eight-pound  salmon,  and 
for  a  six-pound  fish  gave  one  cup  of  rice. 

After  supper  we  visited  the  Indians,  and  found 
seventeen  of  them  occupying  the  same  cabin.  We 
had  been  seated  but  a  few  minutes  when  an  Indian 
lad  of  about  twelve  years,  wishing  to  show  off  his 
musical  ability,  went  and  brought  out  an  accor- 
dion, and  favored  us  with  selections.  We  were 
not  a  little  surprised  to  see  this  untutored  lad 
show  so  much  skill  in  the  use  of  any  musical 
instrument.  From  some  of  the  white  men  he 
had  learned  a  few  lines  of  "  Marching  through 
Georgia,"  "John  Brown's  Body,"  and  "There'll  Be 
a  Hot  Time  in  the  Old  Town  To-night."  These 
he  took  great  delight  in  singing.  The  tunes  he 
rendered  very  well,  but  the  words  were  a  little  too 
much  for  his  thick  tongue  to  manage,  and  make 
very  intelligible.     The  boy  began,  and  one  by  one 


Trip  Down  the  River 


239 


h 


the  others  would  join  in,  until  in  a  little  while  the 
whole  company  were  singing  to  us. 

After  an  hour  spent  in  song,  in  which  they 
favored  us  with  several  of  their  own  songs,  they 
began  to  bring  out  articles  for  trade.  We  bought 
several  articles  of  their  own  manufacture,  to  bring 
home  as  curios.  After  another  hour,  we  returned 
to  our  camp,  only  to  find  that  th<;'  Indians'  dogs 
had  invaded  our  camp,  and  stolen  our  fish  and  a 
large  piece  of  bacon.  But  we  cared  little  for  that, 
as  we  supposed  we  would  have  an  abundance  of 
provisions  for  our  trip. 

We  had  heard  that  Wood's  canon,  on  the  Copper 
River,  was  a  very  dangerous  place  to  pass.  The 
rocks  on  either  side,  for  a  distance  of  three  miles 
down  the  stream,  rise  almost  perpendicularly  to  a 
height  of  several  thousand  feet,  and  the  channel 
has  an  average  width  of  about  one  hundred  feet. 
Through  this  narrow  divide  all  the  water  of  this 
great  river  must  flow.  We  had  been  dreading 
this  place,  and  here  we  learned  that  it  was  only 
fifteen  miles  distant.  So  we  determined  that  in 
the  morning,  if  possible,  we  would  secure  the  serv- 
ices of  the  same  Indian  that  had  piloted  us  the 
last  forty  miles  to  pilot  us  through  this  passage. 

The  night  was  clear  and  cold,  and  the  tempera- 
ture   must   have  been   far  below  zero,   for  in   the 


■  *>  .-I 


*  * 


!    I. 


^'^.^MMtMluutaCW'ti) 


240 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


! 


I|i ; 


m 


^!i    I 


morning  the  river  was  full  of  floating  anchor 
ice. 

While  we  were  at  breakfast,  the  boat  containing 
the  four  men  who  had  camped  near  us  overnight, 
passed  us  on  its  way  down  the  stream. 

The  Indian  agreed  to  pilot  us  through  thecafion 
for  two  dollars,  which  we  were  glad  to  give,  rather 
than  take  our  chance  with  the  rocks  in  this 
unknown  channel ;  and  loading  up  our  boat  we 
pushed  out  into  the  stream-  The  day  was  beauti- 
ful, and  as  the  hours  advanced,  the  rays  of  the  sun, 
shining  upon  the  frosted  mountain  peaks,  painted 
a  picture  not  soon  to  be  forgotten. 

Down  this  portion  of  the  river  the  current  was 
not  swift,  and  we  drifted  leisurely  along,  feasting 
our  eyes  on  the  beautiful  scenery  lining  its  course, 
little  thinking  it  would  be  so  many  days  before  we 
should  reach  the  coast. 

About  noon  we  came  to  the  entrance  to  the 
Gallon.  Here  we  overtook  the  four  men  who  had 
passed  us  four  hours  before.  We  landed,  and  made 
their  acquaintance.  They  were  D.  X .  Peters,  of 
Chillicothe,  Mo.  ;  August  Winstrom,  of  Philadel- 
phia, Pa. ;  Christopher  Traveland,  of  Eui  <  ka,  Cal.  ; 
and  Joseph  Lawson,  of  Norwalk,  Conn.  The  lat- 
ter, it  will  be  remembered,  belonged  to  the  same 
mining  company  as  myself,  but  withdrew  from  the 


VI 


Trip  Down  the  River 


241 


company  early  in  the  season,  before  going  over 
the  glicier.  These  men  had  sold  out,  and,  like 
ourselves,   were   going  back  to  the  States. 

While  making  the  acquaintance  of  these  men, 
we  saw  another  very  small  boat  coming  down  the 
river,  containing  but  two  men.  Seeing  us  on 
shore,  they  landed  also.  They  were  G.  H.  Win- 
ters, of  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  and  J.  Stodart,  of  Os- 
ceola Mills,  Pa.  Our  little  company  now  num- 
bered ten  men  and  three  boats. 

Here  we  all  prepared  and  ate  our  dinner,  won- 
dering the  while  if  any  accident  would  happen  to 
us  while  making  the  passage  of  this  dreaded 
cation. 

Soon  we  were  in  our  boats  again,  and  out  among 
the  floating  ice.  AH  was  excitement  on  board 
these  three  boats  as  we  entered  the  narrow  di\  ide. 
Every  one  was  fearing  a  rough  time,  yet  hoping  to 
make  the  run  in  safety. 

But  imagine  our  surprise  when  we  found  the 
waters  moving  no  naorc  than  two  miles  .n  hour, 
and  as  smooth  as  a  lake.  Being  so  happily  disap- 
pointed about  these  reported  dangerous  rapids, 
we  began  to  hope  that  the  great  Copper  River 
rapids  might  not  prove  to  be  as  dangerous  as  they 
had  been  pictured  to  us. 

Having  passed  these  "  rapids,"  our  guide  left  us, 
16 


\M 


ft 


t  ■ 


i'i  i 

■J, 


,    ,..  iiiBll  I 

m  1^ 


■  <('.;  ^  ■ 


t  i 


242 


Go/d  Hunters   in    Alaska 


he  having  to  climb  the  mountains  forming  the 
great  sides  of  the  caiion,  on  his  return  trip.  It 
was  with  many  genuine  regrets  that  we  parted 
with  our  Indian  guide,  for  with  him  at  the  helm 
we  felt  at  perfect  ease,  knowing  that  every  rock, 
current,  and  bar  was  familiar  to  him.  We  tried 
to  engage  him  to  go  farther  with  us,  but  he  would 
not ;  so  from  this  point  we  were  our  own  guides. 

Having  taken  leave  ofour  dusky  friend,  we  pushed 
out  again  into  the  stream.  When  we  came  where 
the  bed  of  the  river  was  rocky,  we  would  row  hard 
down  the  stream,  to  give  the  boat  steerage  way, 
so  the  man  at  the  rudder  could  steer  us  around  the 
rocks  and  rough  places.  Then  when  we  came  to 
smooth  water,  we  would  rest  at  our  oars,  and  drift 
with  the  current,  thus  giving  ourselves  an  excel- 
lent opportunity  of  viewing  the  bewitching  moun- 
tain scenery  through  which  we  were  passing. 

Word  pictures  may  convey  to  some  minds  a 
faint  conception,  perhaps,  of  such  views  as  these, 
but  not  my  words.  One  must  have  a  rare  gift  for 
such  delineation,  and  even  then  he  must  feel,  after 
his  best  efforts,  that  his  work  has  largely  failed  to 
impress  others  as  he  himself  is  impressed. 

Gazing  upward  at  these  massive  walls  of  won- 
derful masonry,  which  have  defied  the  power  of 
ages   untold    to    crumble    them    at    their   tops  or 


V' 


\ 


Trip  Down  the  River 


243 


loosen  them  at  their  foundations,  one's  thoughts 
are  prone  to  run  backward  to  the  time  when  they 
were  reared  without  hands,  from  materials  gathered 
from  no  mortal  knows  where. 

The  three  boats  ran  along  side  by  side  where 
the  waters  were  sufficiently  smooth,  and  we  chat- 
ted gaily  about  the  incidents  of  the  trip,  the  beau- 
ties of  the  scenery,  and  the  wild  and  rugged  nature 
of  the  country  through  which  we  were  passing. 
Occasionally  as  we  rounded  some  large  point  of 
rock,  there  would  open  up  before  us  pictures  so 
different  from  any  we  had  yet  seen  that  we  would 
sometimes  get  so  absorbed  in  the  grandeur  around 
us  that  we  would  forget  to  watch,  until  the  grind- 
ing of  our  boat's  bottom  041  the  gravel  would  bring 
us  back  to  our  senses,  only  to  find  that  we  were 
stuck  fast  in  a  sand  bar.  Sometimes  we  could 
easily  push  ourselves  off,  though  at  other  times  we 
were  obliged  to  get  out  into  tiie  water,  which 
would  so  lighten  the  boats  that  we  could  shove 
them  into  deep  water,  and  spring  in. 

The  afternoon  sun  had  long  since  disappeared 
behind  the  great  mountains,  and  the  weather 
being  piercing  cold  we  began  early  to  look  about 
for  a  place  to  camp  for  the  night.  Two  things 
were  essential, — a  place  well  sheltered  from  the 
wind,  and  a  good  supply  of  wood. 


\\ 


244 


Gold  Hunters    in    Alaska 


.11 


'III 


After  passing  through  the  canon,  the  spruce  tim- 
ber which  had  served  us  so  well  all  through  the 
summer,  had  entirely  disappeared.  Our  only  sup- 
ply now  was  what  flood-wood  could  be  gathered 
along  the  river,  or  the  green  alders  fringing  the 
banks. 

Upon  our  right  we  noticed  a  small  canon,  down 
which  flowed  a  small,  clear  stream.  Near  where 
this  emptied  into  the  river  was  a  little  cove  and  a 
high,  level  sandbar,  and  near  this  was  a  large  pile 
of  flood-wood.  This  seemed  to  us  an  ideal  place  to 
camp,  so  we  pulled  into  the  little  cove,  and  made 
our  boats  fast,  unloaded  our  camp  outfits,  and  pre- 
pared our  evening  meal.  Our  good  supply  of  fire- 
wood enabled  us  to  build  a  roaring  camp  fire, 
around  which  we  sat,  telling  stories  and  chatting, 
until  nine  o'clock,  when  we  spread  out  our  beds  on 
the  frozen  sandbar,  with  the  great  blue  canopy  for 
our  tent  covering,  and  crawled  in,  and  were  not 
long  in  getting  away  to  the  land  of  nod. 

When  I  awoke  in  the  morning  the  roaring  sound 
which  greeted  my  ears  told  only  too  plainly  that 
the  wind  was  blowing  a  gale,  and  upon  getting  out 
of  bed,  I  found  everything  covered  with  sand  and 
dust  and  the  wind  sweeping  down  the  valley  at 
the  rate  of  fifty  miles  an  hour.  The  atmosphere 
was  so  filled  with  sand  and  dust  that  one  could 


Trip  Down  the  River 


245 


see  only  a  few  rods,  and  the  river  seemed  a  body 
of  moving  ice. 

Soon  my  companions  were  out,  and  we  dis- 
cussed the  situation.  How  we  regretted  not  hav- 
ing made  better  time  the  day  previous,  which  we 
might  easily  have  done,  and  now  have  been  much 
farther  down  the  river,  and  of  course  nearer  the 
coast. 

However,  we  determined  to  spend  no  more  time 
on  scenery,  but  would  get  down  the  river  as  fast 
as  possible.  Hurriedly  we  prepared  and  ate  our 
breakfast,  and  were  soon  on  our  way  down  the 
river,  pulling  through  the  floating  ice. 

How  different  from  the  day  before :  then  the 
sun  was  shining  bright  and  clear,  and  we  could 
see  far  ahead,  and  could  thus  shun  many  of  the 
rough  places  ;  to-day  the  weather  was  extremely 
cold.  Often  the  river  would  divide  into  small 
channels,  and  we  could  not  see  which  to  take. 
True,  the  wind  was  blowing  down  stream,  thus 
helping  us  on  our  course  ;  but  when  we  wished  to 
avoid  some  difficult  or  dangerous  place,  it  would 
drive  us  directly  toward  it,  and  the  floating  ice 
made  it  difficult  to  go  anywhere  but  with  the 
current. 

Sometimes  we  would  mistake  a  side  channel  for 
the  main  one,  and  when  too   late  to  return,  find 


: 


u 


246 


Go/d  Hiniters   in    Alaska 


i?M!     ;ip 


ourselves  aground  upon  some  riffle.  We  had  then 
to  get  out  and  push  our  boats  before  us  until  we 
had  sufficient  water  to  float  them.  Of  course  this 
was  delightful  exercise  in  zero  temperature,  but  it 
had  to  be  done.  In  this  way  we  v/ould  sometimes 
be  cut  off  from  the  main  channel  far  miles,  and  not 
know  on  which  side  until  we  came  into  it  again. 
This  made  our  progress  slow,  and  gave  us  some 
forebodings,  for  our  stock  of  provisions  was  getting 
threateningly  low.  We  had  used  up  over  half  of 
them,  and  had  not  covered  one  third  the  distance 
to  the  coast.  We  could  not  get  back,  and  should 
the  river  get  closed  entirely,  we  would  be  left,  as 
far  as  we  knew,  with  but  few  white  men  or  any 
amount  of  provisions  within  a  hundred  miles  of  us. 
We  dared  not  dwell  upon  the  dark  side  of  this  pic- 
ture, but  kept  hoping  for  the  best. 

We  had  approached  a  place  where  the  valley 
widens,  and  the  river,  in  high  water,  is  eight  miles 
wide  ;  but  now,  in  low  water,  it  was  cut  up  into 
many  channels.  Across  this  wide  valley  the  wind 
swept  the  sand  like  smoke  from  a  burning  fallow. 
We  did  not  stop  to  get  dinner,  but  pushed  on  as 
fast  as  possible. 

How  far  we  were  from  the  mountains  on  either 
side  we  could  not  tell.  Night  was  fast  approach- 
ing, and  where  were  we  to  camp .''     Not  a  stick  of 


'  V. 


Trip  Down  the  River 


247 


wood  had  we  seen  for  a  long  way  bank  ;  nothing 
but  sand  everywhere. 

Soon  we  found  we  had  missed  the  main  river 
and  were  going  down  a  side  channel.  This  began 
to  broaden  out,  and  there  was  no  depth  of  water. 
Our  boat  struck  against  the  ice  ;  the  stream  was 
frozen  over.  We  could  not  get  back  ;  we  must 
go  on.  We  tried  to  push  our  boat  along,  but  the 
whole  bottom  was  a  bed  of  quicksand,  which 
would  prevent  us  from  getting  out,  should  our 
boat  go  aground. 

For  a  moment  the  sand  in  the  air  seemed  to 
grow  less,  and  we  thought  we  could  discern  open 
water  a  hundred  yards  farther  down  ;  so  with  ax 
and  oar  we  began  to  break  the  ice  in  front  of  the 
boat,  but  it  began  to  grow  dark  before  the  open 
water  was  reached.  The  prospect  seemed  good 
for  us  to  pass  the  night  without  either  fire  or  sup- 
per, and  we  had  had  no  dinner,  either. 

Coming  out  into  open  water  we  pulled  on  down 
stream  as  fast  as  possible,  hoping  r^oon  to  come  to 
the  main  river.  In  a  few  moments  two  sights  met 
our  eyes  which  caused  us  to  feel  greatly  relieved  ; 
a  few  rods  ahead  of  us  was  the  main  channel,  and 
upon  the  bank  was  a  large  pile  of  floodwood. 
Here  was  the  place  to  camp. 

We  landed,  drawing  our  boats  clear  up  on  shore 


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Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


to  keep  them  from  being  frozen  fast  in  the  ice  by 
morning.  The  wind  blew  such  a  gale  that  it  was 
no  easy  task  to  start  a  fire,  but  persistent  effort 
brought  success,  and  before  long  the  sound  of 
sputtering  bacon  was  heard,  with  flapjacks  next 
in  order,  but  while  they  were  being  baked,  the  fly- 
ing sand  would  light  on  them,  so  that  before  they 
were  ready  to  turn  the  top  side  would  be  the 
brownest  of  the  two.  Our  party  may  forget  many 
of  the  incidents  of  their  stay  in  Alaska,  but  I 
doubt  if  any  of  them  will  forget  the  eating  of  those 
flapjacks  and  bacon  and  sand. 

The  wind  blew  so  hard  all  night  that  our  sleep 
was  much  disturbed,  and  when  daylight  came  we 
were  half  buried  in  the  sand,  and  had  the  night 
been  long  enough,  our  beds  might  easily  have  be- 
come our  graves.  Crawling  out,  we  prepared 
breakfast  under  the  same  difficulties  that  we  had 
in  getting  our  supper,  the  wind  still  prevailing, 
and  dust  and  sand  still  flying. 

While  eating,  we  were  surprised  to  see  a  strange 
man  approaching  our  camp.  We  learned  from 
him  that  he  was  one  of  the  party  who  had  been  all 
summer  pulling  their  goods  up  Copper  River,  and 
were  on  their  way  to  Bremner  River,  which  he 
said  was  but  a  few  miles  above  where  we  then 
were,  where  they  expected  to  go  into  winter  quar- 


Trip  Down  the  River 


249 


ters.  They  had  been  caught  in  this  sand  storm, 
the  same  as  we  had,  and  were  obliged  to  camp  on 
the  same  island  —  for  it  seemed  we  were  now  on  an 
island.  He  told  us  of  another  party  who  were  on 
their  way  up  the  river,  and  were  camped  several 
miles  farther  down  ;  and  he  also  gave  us  some  in- 
formation in  regard  to  the  river  which  proved  of 
great  value  to   us. 

After  breakfast  we  again  set  out  down  the  river. 
Everything  went  well,  and  at  one  o'clock  we  came 
to  a  place  where  the  river  ran  close  to  the  moun- 
tain, and  there  upon  the  bank,  in  a  small  cluster 
of  trees,  stood  three  tents.  This  was  a  welcome 
sight  to  us,  but  it  was  very  difficult  to  make  a 
landing  because  of  the  river  being  so  blocked  with 
ice.  The  men  from  the  tents,  however,  seeing  us 
approaching,  came  down  to  the  bank,  and  caught 
our  bow-line  as  we  threw  it,  and  helped  us  pull  in 
shore. 

These  men  were  also  waiting  for  the  sand 
storm  to  cease,  so  they  could  resume  their  journey 
up  stream.  They  hoped  to  reach  Bremner  River, 
where  they  said  a  large  party  had  gone  into  winter 
quarters.  They  also  gave  us  much  valuable  infor- 
mation about  the  river,  the  great  rapids,  and  the 
glacier,  all  of  which  we  had  yet  to  pass. 

Near   their   camp   was  a  small    sheltered    spot. 


y 


II 


!'■ 


250 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


where  we  built  a  fire  and  prepared  dinner.  Here 
we  decided  to  remain  until  morning,  hoping  by 
that  time  the  terrible  sand  storm  would  be  over. 
Our  eyes  were  becoming,  much  inflamed,  and 
should  the  storm  continue  many  more  days,  we 
feared  serious  results  in  that  direction. 

All  the  afternoon  the  wind  swept  the  sand  down 
the  valley  with  unceasing  fury,  and  all  night  long 
the  roaring  of  the  wind  through  the  tree  tops  and 
along  the  mountain  side  told  us  that  the  storm 
was  still  on.  ' 

Morning  came,  but  brought  no  change,  except 
that  the  wind  had  increased  rather  than  dimin- 
ished, and  the  river  seemed  more  blocked  with  ice. 
We  dare  not  go  out  into  it  while  the  wind  blew 
such  a  gale,  so  we  waited  all  day  ;  but  the  day 
passed,  and  night  came  on,  and  still  the  storm 
raged  on. 

The  next  morning  at  dawn  we  were  up  and  out 
and  preparing  to  move  on.  The  wind  had  ceased, 
and  the  dust  had  settled,  but  a  dense  fog  was  fill- 
ing the  valley,  which  prevented  us  from  seeing 
any   distance  ahead. 

Breakfast  over,  we  again  set  out  down  the  river, 
which  was  so  blocked  with  floating  ice  that  we 
could  go  no  faster  than  the  current.  We  drifted 
on  until  about  noon,  when  we    met    some    more 


Trip  Down  the  River 


251 


men,  who  were  pulling  their  boats  up  the  river. 
They  were  almost  discouraged,  for  it  was  slow, 
hard  work  to  pull  against  so  much   ice. 

They  told  us  that  it  was  about  thirty  miles  to 
the  large  rapids  below,  but  about  five  miles  below 
were  small  rapids,  and  they  advised  us  to  lope  our 
boats  down  them,  as  they  considered  it  unsafe  to 
shoot  them.  We  had  heard  nothing  of  these 
rapids  before,  but  it  caused  us  to  proceed  with 
caution. 

About  two  o'clock  we  came  in  sight  of  what  we 
supposed  was  the  smaller  rapids,  and  made  an  at- 
tempt to  land,  but  it  was  with  great  difficulty 
that  we  got  on  shore,  on  account  of  the  ice  in 
shore.  The  place  of  landing  was  near  the  foot  of 
a  high  mountain.  Just  below  us  was  a  large  rock 
perhaps  fifty  feet  high,  which  projected  out  into 
the  stream,  and  the  whole  current  of  the  river  set 
in  close  to  the  bank  just  above  this  rock,  and 
the  great  mass  of  ice  which  filled  the  stream  from 
^  shore  to  shore  came  rushing  along  at  the  rate  of 
ten  miles  an  hour,  striking  tne  shore  and  floating 
down  until  it  reached  this  rock,  where  it  was 
thrown  out  into  the  river  again  to  meet  the  ice 
coming  down  on  the  opposite  side,  thus  forming  a 
current  or  swirl  of  water  and  ice  which  was  most 
dangerous  to  pass  with  small  boats  like  ours. 


I 


i!    i 


252 


Gild  Hunters   in   Alaska 


The  bed  of  the  stream  was  evidently  filled  with 
rocks,  as  the  waters,  when  not  held  down  by  ice, 
would  foam  and  boil  in  a  fearful  manner.  Malcing- 
our  boat  fast,  we  went  down  to  investigate. 
Standing  upon  this  rock,  and  looking  down  into 
the  mad  rush  of  ice  and  water,  knowing  that  we 
had  to  pass  it,  was  a  sight  sufficient  to  cause  the 
stoutest  heart  to  quail. 

To  get  our  boats  over  this  almost  pe''pendicular 
wall  of  rock  was  impossible;  and  to  cross  to  the 
opposite  side  was  a  thing  not  to  be  thought  of. 
What  to  do  we  didn't  know.  It  had  commenced 
to  get  warmer,  so  we  decided  to  go  into  camp, 
and  wait  another  day's  appearance,  thinking  the 
flow  of  ice  might  be  less.  We  found  sufficient 
flood-wood  for  our  present  use,  so  built  a  large 
camp  fire,  and  discussed  the  situation  around  its 
cheerful  glare. 

It  was  evident  that  the  little  boat  which  had 
brought  Winters  and  Stodart  safely  down  thus  far 
would  never  pass  in  safety  the  place  above  de- 
scribed, so  it  was  decided  that  they  should  aban- 
don the  little  craft,  and  make  the  balance  of  the 
trip  in  our  boat.  Accordingly  their  goods  were 
transferred  from  their  boat  to  ours.  About  this 
time  it  began  snowing,  and  continued  until  after 
dark.     The   snow    was    wet    and    heavy,    melting 


Trip  Down  the  River 


253 


upon  our  clothing,  so  that  in  a  little  time  we  were 
wet  through.  Unpleasant  as  this  was,  we  pre- 
ferred it  to  our  experience  with  the  sand,  which 
had  been  such  a  source  of  discomfort  to  us  for 
several  days  past. 

When  bedtime  came,  we  spread  out  our  beds 
upon  the  clean,  new  snow,  and  in  our  wet  clothing, 
crawled  in  for  a  night's  rest.  To  the  reader  this 
may  not  seem  an  inviting  place  to  spend  the 
night,  but  with  us  it  was  a  case  of  that  or  nothing. 
The  open  canopy  had  been  our  bedchamber  about 
all  the  time  for  several  months.  Sometimes,  while 
in  a  permanent  camp,  we  had  occupied  tents. 

When  we  arose  at  daybreak  our  spirits  sank,  as 
we  noticed  that  instead  of  there  being  less  ice,  the 
river  was  densely  packed.  Looking  to  where  our 
boats  were  fastened,  we  noticed  that  the  small 
one,  which  had  been  unloaded  the  night  previous, 
was  gone,  having  been  torn  loose  by  the  ice,  and 
taken  down  the  stream.  You  may  be  sure  we  were 
thankful  that  it  was  that,  and  not  one  of  our  larger 
ones.  Had  it  been  one  of  these,  our  case  would 
have  been  a  desperate  one  indeed. 

Here,  as  in  many  times  in  the  past,  I  felt  that 
the  eye  which  never  sleeps  had  been  watching 
over  us,  and  a  hand  mightier  than  ours  had  been 
guiding  our  course. 


H;l 


•i 


I 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

A   THRILLING   EXPERIENCE 

There  seemed  to  be  but  one  way  out  for  us  ; 
we  must  go  on,  and  attempt  to  pass  the  rock. 
We  laid  our  plans,  and  proceeded  to  carry  them 
out.  It  was  to  work  our  boats  farther  up  the 
stream,  watch  our  chance  when  there  seemed 
to  be  less  ice,  and  with  four  men  at  the  oars, 
force  our  boats  as  far  out  into  the  stream  as 
possible  before  reaching  the  dreaded  spot  three 
hundred  yards  farther  down. 

A  suitable  place  for  starting  was  reached,  and 
we  all  stepped  into  the  boats,  halting  a  moment 
for  a  favorable  chance  to  push  off.  Soon  it  came, 
and  my  boat,  which  was  to  lead,  started,  followed 
closely  by  the  other.  With  long,  steady  strokes 
we  pulled  with  all  our  might. 

The  ice  through  which  we  were  compelled  to 
push  our  boats  greatly  retarded  our  progress,  so 
much  so  that  we  were  being  carried  down  toward 
the  rock  faster  than  we  were  leaving  the  shore. 
Still  we  pulled  on,  hoping  to  get  far  enough  out 
to  clear  the  great  roll  of  ice  which  was  tumbling 

m 


A   Thrilling  Experience 


255 


outward    as  the   current  piled  it  up   against   this 
great    rock. 

There  was  a  small  clear  space  of  water  ahead  of 
us.  Our  steersman  saw  it,  and  told  us  to  pull  hard 
for  it.  The  request  was  scarcely  needed,  for  every 
man  was  pulling  his  best.  Reader,  did  you  ever 
pull  for  life }  Then  you  know  something  of  the 
feelings  which  nerved  every  arm  on  that  dreadful 
trip.     We  did  pull. 

Fifty  yards  above  the  great  rock  we  came  out 
into  the  open  water  that  we  had  been  pulling  for. 
This  enabled  us  to  shoot  ahead  faster,  and  to  get 
farther  out  into  the  stream.  Here  the  distance  of 
only  a  few  feet  might  be  the  difference  between 
life  and  death.  Ah,  a  single  foot  might  mean  all 
that.  So  every  man  put  all  his  remaining  strength 
into  every  stroke.  I  looked  at  our  steersman.  His 
eyes  were  riveted  on  the  rolling  mass  of  ice  and 
water  which  we  were  fast  approaching.  A  mo- 
ment more,  and  we  should  know. 

Suddenly  he  threw  the  rudder  to  one  side,  and 
the  bow  of  the  boat  turned  down  stream  ;  at  the 
same  time  we  were  knocked  to  one  side  by  the 
ice,  and  our  boat  turned  half  way  round,  but  we 
were  past  the  rock. 

Next  our  attention  was  turned  to  our  compan- 
ions.    Would  they  get  through  as  well  "i    We  held 


h  ' 


256 


Gold  Hunters   in    Alaska 


our  boat  back  against  the  current,  to  be  near  in 
case  they  might  meet  with  any  accident  and  need 
help,  but  we  soon  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
them  shoot  through  as  safely  as  we  had  done. 

We  congratulated  ourselves,  as  we  drifted  lei- 
surely along,  on  having  passed  the  small  rapids  in 
safety,  when  upon  looking  ahead,  we  discovered 
that  we  were  just  approaching  them.  No  possible 
chance  to  land  for  a  reconnoiter ;  we  must  go 
through  them,  and  do  it  right  away. 

We  began  rowing  down  stream  as  hard  as  we 
could,  to  give  steerage  way  to  our  little  crafts. 
In  a  moment  we  were  shooting  down  the  rapids 
at  the  rate  of  twenty  miles  an  hour.  The  waves 
broke  over  our  bow  at  nearly  every  boat's  length. 
But  we  soon  passed  the  danger  point,  and  were 
drifting  with  the  current. 

Our  provisions  were  getting  low,  but  we  expected 
within  two  days  at  most  to  be  in  Alganak,  which 
is  the  first  Indian  trading  post  coming  down 
Copper   River. 

Nothing  worthy  of  note  occurred  until  after  one 
o'clock,  when  we  discovered  a  small  Indian  canoe 
a  short  distance  below  us  fastened  to  the  shore. 
Thinking  there  must  be  Indians  near  by,  we  de- 
termined to  make  a  landing,  and,  if  possible,  get 
some  provisions. 


A  Thrilling  Experience 


257 


The  current  was  swift,  and  the  river  filled  with 
ice,  so  that  landing  was  no  easy  matter.  We  kept 
our  boat  as  near  the  shore  as  we  thought  safe,  and 
watched  for  a  convenient  place  where  we  could 
throw  the  bow  near  enough  to  allow  one  of  our 
number  to  leap  ashore  with  a  line.  Soon  such 
a  time  came,  and  as  the  line  tightened,  our  boat 
swung  in  against  the  bank,  and  we  were  on  shore 
in  an  instant.  We  called  to  our  friends  in  the 
other  boat  to  throw  us  their  bow  line,  which  they 
did,  and  we  were  all  landed,  and  our  boats  drawn 
alongside. 

Across  the  flats,  about  a  fourth  of  a  mile  distant, 
we  saw  an  Indian  approaching,  accompanied  by 
a  little  lad  of  probably  ten  years,  barefooted,  and 
trotting  along  through  three  inches  of  new-fallen 
snow.  When  he  came  up  to  us,  we  asked  him  if 
he  had  any  "  muck-muck  "  (provision).  He  an- 
swered, "  Hi,  you,  muck-muck,"  meaning  "  plenty." 

Pointing  to  ourselves,  we  said,  "Hi  low,  muck- 
muck,"  which  in  their  language  means  "none." 
Not  seeming  quite  satisfied  to  take  our  word  for 
it,  he  got  into  our  boats  and  looked  through  our 
goods,  but  not  finding  any  provisions,  came  on 
shore,  and  motioned  us  to  follow  him.  We  began 
to  make  our  boats  fast  where  they  were,  but  he 
shook  his  head,  saying  in  very  poor  English, 
17 


2&8 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


\V\ 


I  ! 


*'  Water  steal  canoe,"  and  pointed  us  to  a  little 
cove  a  short  distance  below,  where  they  would 
be  safe. 

When  we  had  cared  for  our  boats,  we  followed 
him  to  his  tent  about  half  a  mile  distant.  His  wife 
put  her  head  out  of  the  tent  as  we  appro'^rh  ^d,  and, 
with  a  frightened  look,  said  a  few  words  to  him 
which  we  could  not  understand.  Then  he  motioned 
us  to  come  in,  and  gave  us  seats  on  the  ground 
around  the  side  of  the  tent,  and  began  getting  us 
some  dinner. 

They  baked  bread,  cooked  some  evaporated 
potatoes,  and  oatmeal,  fried  bacon,  and  made 
some  coffee.  Our  appetites  were  keen,  and  the 
meal  was    greatly  relished  by   us   all. 

After  dinner  we  asked  him  for  the  bill,  but  he 
gave  us  to  understand  that  it  would  be  nothing. 
However,  we  each  gave  him  twenty-five  cents,  which 
seemed  to  please  him  greatly,  for  he  went  out  and 
brought  in  a  half  sack  of  flour,  and  gave  it  to  us, 
but  would  not  sell  any.  He  also  gave  us  to  under- 
stand that  two  Boston  men,  as  they  call  the  whites, 
were  camped  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 
This  made  us  anxious  to  cross  over,  and  see  if 
we  could  obtain  any  supplies  of  them,  and  also 
gain  any  information  concerning  the  great  rapids 
below. 


■I   I 


B<<i  a  'ilk— sssssaca 


:r;:a8sa;s5t3SBrECS5^^!wiBaBr#»5*««"'ws 


A    Thrilling  Experience 


259 


We  did  not  suppose  that  we  were  anywhere 
near  them  yet,  but  the  Indian  told  us  that  they 
bega.'  ust^around  a  rocky  point  but  two  hundred 
yarc^s  away.  How  fortunate  it  was  that  we 
*  jpped  where  we  did,  for  had  we  gone  on,  our 
doom   would  undoubtedly  have  b^en  sealed. 

Tile  river  at  this  point  was  two  hundred  yards 
wide,  with  a  current  of  at  least  ten  miles  an  hour, 
and  was  filled  with  floating  ice.  To  cross  where 
we  were  without  being  drawn  into  the  rapids  was 
impossible.  Our  only  chance  to  get  over  was  to 
draw  our  boats  back  up  stream  a  quarter  of  a 
mile,  and  then  pull  as  hard  as  possible  for  the 
opposite  shore  while  the  current  was  taking  us 
down.  This  we  knew  was  a  dangerous  task,  for 
should  we  fail  to  make  the  other  shore  in  time, 
nothing  could  prevent  our  going  through  the 
rapids.  But  our  case  was  beginning  to  be  a  des- 
perate one,  and  we  decided  to  chance  it.  So  haul- 
ing our  boats  up  the  river  until  we  considered  it 
safe  to  start,  we  bade  our  Indian  friend  adieu,  and 
pushed  out  from  shore. 

It  was  unnecessary  to  tell  any  one  to  pull  his 
t'st,  for  every  man  knew  what  was  at  stake,  and 
what  it  would  mean  to  fail.  We  succeeded  in 
crossing  the  main  current,  and  entered  the  lower 
side  of  a  small  cov*  just  above  the  rapids.     Here 


k 


fill 


I'-i 


li 


ii   r 


260 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


our  boats  all  became  fast  in  the  ice,  and  began  to 
circle  around  fhe  cove,  now  being  carried  within  a 
few  yards  of  shore,  then  around  to  within  a  little 
way  of  the  swift  current  leading  to  the  rapids,  but 
to  do  our  best,  we  could  not  make  the  bank. 

How  this  might  have  ended  we  will  never  know, 
as  great  odds  were  against  our  breaking  our  way 
through  this  mass  of  swirling  ice  packed  so 
closely  together,  but  a  man  on  the  opposite  side 
saw  our  predicament,  and  running  to  the  bank, 
shouted,  "  Throw  me  your  line."  This  we  quickly 
did,  and  were  helped  to  shore.  We  were  glad  to 
set  foot  again  on  shore,  for  we  could  plainly  hear 
the  roar  of  the  rapids  during  our  swirling  boat  ride. 

Our  new-found  friend  invited  us  to  go  with  him 
where  he  and  another  man  were  camped.  They 
had  come  to  Alaska  early  in  the  spring,  and  had 
decided  to  go  to  the  interior  by  the  way  of  Cop- 
per River.  Coming  up  as  far  as  Alganak,  they 
had  staked  some  quartz  claims,  which  prom- 
ised well ;  but  still  having  a  desire  to  visit  the 
interior,  they  had  brought  their  goods  on  up  the 
river,  until,  after  suffering  hardships  and  priva- 
tions, they  had  sold  out  their  goods,  and  were  on 
their  way  back  to  their  claims. 

They  had  a  12  x  14  tent,  and  a  stove,  the  use  of 
which  they  kindly  offered  us  q|i  which  to  prepare 


"""'Hl.f'l 


! 


A   Thrilling  Experience 


261 


our  meals,  an  offer  we  gladly  accepted.  We  found 
the  shelter  of  a  tent  very  grateful,  for  it  had 
begun  to  sleet,  and  was  very  disagreeable  outside. 
We  were  able  to  buy  of  these  men  a  good 
supply  of  beans  and  a  small  amount  of  other 
provisions. 


■  -'  i'ii,^\ 


■fcj 


^^^f^mmmummm 


CHAPTER   XXVII 


LIVE       GLACIER 


They  told  us  it  would  be  impossible  to  rope 
our  boats  down  the  rapids  until  the  snow  was 
melted  off  the  ground  and  rocks,  because  the 
banks  were  steep,  and  if  slippery,  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  hold  our  boats  back  in  the  swift 
current. 

A  boat  containing  two  men  was  seen  coming 
down  the  river  about  four  o'clock,  and  we  ran 
down  to  the  bank  and  motioned  them  to  land 
where  we  were,  which  they  did  with  much  diffi- 
culty. 

Like  ourselves,  they  were  getting  out  of  the 
country.  They  had  left  Copper  Center  the  day 
after  we  had,  and  of  course  had  experienced  about 
the  same  kind  of  weather,  and  other  vicissitudes  as 
ourselves.  Their  boat  being  a  small  one,  it  was 
arranged  that  it  should  be  abandoned  at  this 
point,  and  they  make  the  balance  of  the  trip  in 
our  boat. 

One  of  these  men  had  gone  into  Alaska  by  way 
of  Skagaway,  reaching  Dawson  in  the  early  part 

282 


A  "  Z-i'z/^  "  Glacier 


263 


of  summer,  and  he  with  his  company  had  made 
their  way  oyer  to  Forty  Mile  Creek,  where  they 
found  good  prospects.  Leaving  his  partners  there, 
he  passed  over  the  Tannanaw  Range,  to  the  head 
waters  of  the  Copper  River.  There  he  fell  in 
company  with  a  man  who  had  gone  up  Copper 
River,  and  was  returning.  Together  they  came 
down  the  stream,  reaching  Copper  Center  early  in 
October.  Remaining  there  a  few  days,  they  had 
followed  us  down,  overtaking  us  as  before  de- 
scribed. 

We  were  anxious  to  proceed,  but  our  new-made 
friends,  who  were  more  familiar  with  the  river 
than  we,  told  us  as  others  had  told  us  before,  that 
it  would  be  impossible  to  rope  our  boats  down 
the  rapids  while  the  rocks  were  so  covered  with 
ice  as  then. 

That  night  we  all  tried  to  sleep  ins'de  the  one 
tent,  but  were  so  crowded  that  we  got  but  little 
rest.  Next  morning  brought  no  change  in  the 
weather,   as   we   had    hoped. 

That  day  we  walked  six  miles  over  the  glacier 
moraine,  to  get  a  look  at  Miles's  glacier.  Arriv- 
ing within  a  mile  of  the  glacier,  we  came  to  a  high 
point  in  the  moraine,  which  gave  us  a  command- 
ing view  of  the  whole  glacier.  Alaska  is  full  of 
surprises  ;  a  walk  of  only  a  mile  sometimes  will  so 


'■■N 


264 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


transform  everything  in  sight,  that  it  looks  almost 
Hke  another  country.  We  had  been  meeting  these 
experiences  for  many  months  ;  but  from  our  seat 
on  this  elevation  I  am  free  to  say  that  I  had  never 
witnessed  anything  so  grand.  I  had  seen  glaciers 
before,  many  of  them,  and  very  beautiful  sights 
they  had  afforded,  but  Miles's  glacier  struck  me  as 
far  surpassing  them  all. 

It  had  a  frontage  along  the  river  of  three  miles, 
and  a  perpendicular  wall  of  ice  rising  out  of  the 
water  three  hundred  feet  high,  and  extending  back 
into  the  mountains  far  enough  to  give  an  area  of 
eighty  square  miles.  Its  entire  surface  was  covered 
\\»th  spires,  and  domes,  and  peaks,  and  arches. 
The  summer  suns  of  many  years  had  melted  away 
the  soft  spots,  and  left  the  surface  in  every  con- 
ceivable shape. 

This  immense  body  of  ice  —  of  over  eighty 
square  miles  —  is  what  is  called  a  »ive"  glacier, 
and  is  said  to  crawl  down  toward  the  river  seven 
inches  every  twenty-four  hours.  Great  masses  of 
this  ice  fall  into  the  river  every  day.  Scarcely 
any  five  minutes-  of  any  day  during  the  summer 
passes  without  some  of  it  falling.  As  the  weather 
gets  colder,  the  falling  becomes  less  frequent,  and 
during  the  extreme  weather  of  winter  it  ceases 
altogether.     Two   large   pieces   fell  while  we  sat 


pBRinsppipaKiBPWBsnn^B 


1 


A  '' Live^^  Glacier 


265 


watching  it,  making^  a  crashing  sound  which  could 
be  heard  many  miles  away. 

We  were  told  that  during  the  summer,  when  the 
salmon  were  running  up  the  river,  that  sometimes 
great  masses  of  this  glacier  fall  into  the  water  with 
such  a  swash,  that  wagon  loads  of  salmon  are 
thrown  out  upon  the  banks  by  the  waves. 

Across  upon  the  right,  but  four  miles  farther 
down,  yet  in  plain  view  from  where  we  sat,  lay 
Child's  glacier.  It  extends  down  the  river  three 
miles,  and  running  back,  it  circles  completely 
around  one  mountain  peak,  which  towered  far 
above  it  like  a  gigantic  sentinel.  It  covered  the 
same  number  of  square  miles  as  Miles's  glacier, 
but  is  not  a  "  live"  glacier,  as  it  does  not  move, 
nor  does  it  crumble  off  and  fall  into  the  river  as 
does  the  other. 

The  air  between  these  two  glaciers  was  piercing 
cold,  and  we  were  soon  reminded  that  we  must 
move  on  or  freeze.  Our  forenoon's  explorations 
and  sight-seeing  had  been  long  enough  and  had 
climbing  enough  in  them  to  give  us  a  relish  for 
our  dinner  when  we  returned. 

After  dinner  some  one  discovered  an  empty 
boat  coming  down  stream,  and  we  all  ran  out  to 
see  what  we  might  discern  as  to  its  owner's  fate, 
but  it  did  not  come  very  near  in  shore,  and   was 


266 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


soon  caught  in  the  rapids  and  whirled  beyond  our 
sight  around  the  rocks. 

We  wondered  where  its  owners  were  ;  had  they 
been  capsized  and  lost,  or  had  their  boat  been' 
stolen  from  its  fastenings  by  the  treacherous  waters 
and  ice,  leaving  them  in  some  desolate  spot  far 
from  human  habitation,  or  any  means  of  obtaining 
food  ?  These  were  our  speculations,  but  our  quer- 
ies were  never  answered. 

The  tragedies  of  Alaska, —  their  number  will 
never  be  known,  their  awful  history  will  never  be 
written.  Far  away  friends  will  wait,  and  hope,  in 
blissful  ignorance  of  the  terrif  c  struggles  and  un- 
equal conflicts  with  nature's  giant  forces,  until  they 
went  down,  to  lie  in  ceaseless  solitude,  or  be 
buried  without  hands  under  mountains  of  snow 
and  ice,  or  washed  into  unknown  waters,  or 
crushed  into  shapeless  mass,  or  drifted  into  infinite 
tangles  of  floodwood  along  some  of  these  rushing 
streams  ;  they  w^ill  only  know  that  they  went 
away  and  came  not  back. 

Toward  night  the  weather  became  warmer,  and 
it  began  to  rain,  and  we  hoped  by  morning  the  ice 
would' be  so  far  gone  that  we  would  be  able  to  pro- 
ceed on  our  way,  roping  our  boats  down  the  rapids. 

Our  tent  leaked  so  badly  that  by  bedtime,  the 
ground  under  it  was  a  veritable  mudpuddle.     This 


A  ^^  Ltve^^  Glacier 


267 


must  be'  our  bedchamber,  or  we  must  sit  up  ;  I 
chose  the  latter,  and  passed  a  very  uncomfortable 
night. 

When  the  morning  appeared,  the  ice  was  gone 
from  the  rocks,  and  the  snow  was  nearly  gone. 
As  quickly  as  possible  we  prepared  and  ate  our 
breakfast. 


« 


I;'! 
1  ^ 


i    t 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 


ROPING   THE    RAPIDS 


(i      :   t 


|.i! 


We  thought  to  have  passed  the  rapids  by  night 
and  to  be  far  down  the  river  below  the  glacier. 
So  loading  our  goov's  into  our  boats,  and  leaving 
the  tent  and  stove  behind  which  did  not  be- 
long to  the  two  men,  we  began  roping  our  boats 
down  the  rapids. 

We  had  1 50  feet  of  rope  attached  to  each  end  of 
each  boat,  and  several  men  to  a  boat.  The  work 
was  slow.  The  banks  were  steep,  and  many  of 
the  rocks  over  which  we  had  to  climb  were  ten  to 
fifteen  feet  high. 

Often  as  the  boats  drifted  down  the  current,  our 
ropes  would  get  caught  under  some  rock,  and  it 
was  with  great  difficulty  that  they  could  be  re- 
moved. ■      r 

We  frequently  came  to  places  where  we  dared 
not  venture  to  leave  our  goods  within  the  boats, 
lest  they  should  be  capsized  and  the  goods  lost,  so 
they  were  unloaded  on  the  bank,  and  the  boats 
held  back  until  the  full  length  of  the  line  was  car- 
ried down  stream,  when  the  boats  would  be  pushed 

268 


Roping  the  Rapids 


269 


out  into  the  current  to  shoot  through.  If  they 
capsized,  we  lost  nothing,  which  happened  more 
than  once. 

We  had,  of  course,  to  pack  our  goods  over  these 
stretches,  and  then  reload  them,  and  go  forward, 
until  another  bad  place  was  reached,  when  the 
same  thing   would  be  repeated. 

Sometimes  it  was  necessary,  in  order  to  clear 
some  projecting  rock,  for  one  or  two  men  to  ride 
down  in  the  boats.  This  was  no  desirable  job, 
but  some  one  had  to  do  it.  Many  men  have  at- 
tempted to  "shoot"  these  rapids,  but  few  have  lived 
to  relate  their  experiences  during  its  passage. 

The  river  here  is  confined  to  a  width  of  one 
hundred  -  id  fifty  feet,  and  for  three  miles  its  im- 
mense volume  of  water  rushed  down  at  a  tremen- 
dous rate  ;  besides,  the  whole  bed  of  the  stream  is 
filled  with  rocks,  over  and  around  which  the  water 
lashes  itself  into  foam,  with  a  noise  almost  equal 
to  the  roar  of  the  great   Niagara. 

We  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  one  man  who 
made*this  hazardous  trip  in  an  open  rowboat,  and 
who  came  through  unharmed.  But  what  made 
the  man  a  more  interesting  character  to  us  was 
the  fact  that  he  had  gone  through  just  for  the 
sake  of  the  adventure,  carrying  with  him  an  Indian, 
who  was  an   unwilling  passenger. 


i  J 


\1\ 


270 


Go/cl  Hunters  in  Alaska 


He  was  a  man  of  quiet,  unassuming  appearance^ 
of  perhaps  twenty-five  years  of  age.  His  hair  was 
extremely  red,  and  he  gave  us  the  impression 
that  his  life  had  mostly  been  spent  upon  a  farm. 
One  day  while  on  his  way  up  the  river,  and  while 
camped  near  the  rapids,  he  decided  to  cover  him- 
self with  glory  by  shooting  these  wonderful  rapids. 
There  was  an  Indian  living  near,  belonging  to  the 
Siwash  tribe,  who  for  stealiag  had  be  n  banished 
to  a  desolate  spot  near  the  rapids.  Here  he,  with 
his  family,  must  live  for  five  years,  and  must  catch 
and  dry  every  year  a  certain  amount  of  fish  for 
the  use  of  the  tribe,  but  was  not  allowed  to  re- 
turn until  the  five  years  were  up.  This  is  the 
Indian's  punishment    for  thieving. 

One  day  this  fellow  and  his  companions  hired 
this  Indian  to  help  them  rope  a  boat  down  the 
rapids.  The  man  and  the  Indian  were  in  the  boat^ 
holding  it  off  the  rocks,  while  his  companions 
were  holding  the  rope.  It  seemed  to  have  been 
understock  between  them  and  him,  for  just  as 
they  were  entering  the  rapids,  he  took  out  his 
watch,  looked  at  the  time,  then  severing  the  line 
which  held  them  to  the  shore,  the  boat  shot  down 
the  rapids. 

The  man  seated  himself  at  the  oars  and  began 
to  row.     As  soon  as  the  Indian  saw  that  they  were 


Roping  the  Rapids 


271 


turned  loose,  he  threw  himself  into  the  bottom 
of  the  boat,  and  began  to  cry  to  the  water  gods  to 
save  him.  They  passed  the  rapids  in  safety,  and 
the  trip  of  three  miles  was  said  to  have  been  made 
in  four  and  one-half  minutes. 

We  worked  hard  the  entire  day,  and  when  night 
c  me  had  only  made  two  miles.     The  shore  along 
wh'ch  we  then  were  was  steep,  and  almost  one 
mass  of  rocks,  which  had  fallen  down   from   the 
mountain  side. 

We  tried  to  reach  a  more  suitable  place  to 
camp,  but  darkness  came  on,  and  we  were  obliged 
to  stop. 

We  succeeded  in  getting  a  camp  fire  started, 
and  prepared  supper,  but  we  could  find  no  place 
to  spread  our,  beds.  Some  of  the  men  tried  lean- 
ing up  against  something,  to  get  a  little  rest, 
but  the  greater  portion  of  us  were  awake,  and  kept 
our  fires  going  all  night. 

We  prepared  breakfast  and  had  it  eaten  before 
daylight.  At  the  first  appearance  ^  i  dawn  we 
were  ready  to  start.  The  weather  had  turned 
colder,  and  the  river  was  still  full  of  floating  ice. 
About  ten  o'clock  we  had  reached  the  last  part  of 
the  rapids.  For  about  three  hundred  yards  it  was 
impossible  to  rope  our  boats  down  the  main  chan- 
nel, but  there  was  a  side  channel  down  which  we 


27a 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


'i,  ■■ 


might  go,  by  removing  our  goods  and  carrying 
them,  as  at  several  other  places,  sending  the  boats 
down  empty. 

The  stream  was  so  filled  with  rocks  that  we 
could  not*  even  float  our  boats  here,  without  get- 
ting out  into  the  water  and  pushing  them  off  the 
rocks  frequently.  Often  we  had  to  wade  in  the 
icy  cold  water  to  our  middles,  and  by  the  time  we 
had  reached  smooth  water  we  were  thoroughly  be- 
numbed with  cold.  We  did  not  stop  to  build  lires 
and  dry  our  clothing,  but  ran  races  up  and  down 
the  beach  to  get  warm,  thinking  that  our  troubles 
were  now  over,  and  that  we  should  soon  reach 
Alganak,  where  we  hoped  to  get  a  fresh  supply 
of  provision  for  the  balance  of  our  trip. 

We  loaded  up  our  goods  again,  and  being  below 
the  rapids,  got  in  and  pulled  down,  toward  the 
glacier.  But  we  were  barely  started  when  we 
espied  two  men  on  the  opposite  bank,  who  ran 
down  to  the  water,  and  motion  ad  frantically  for  us 
to  go  back,  and  we  knew  that  something  was 
wrong.  So  we  effected  a  landing,  and  fasten- 
ing our  boats,  went  dnwn  to  investigate. 

Going  close  to  the  glacier  we  saw  a  sight  which 
almost  caused  our  hearts  to  stand  still.  The 
whole  river,  for  four  miles  down,  was  blocked 
with  solid  ice. 


1 


CHAPTER  XXIX 


]!  >•"!■!■:: 


FOUR   MILES   OF  SOLID   ICE 


I  SHALL  never  forget  the  discouraged  looks 
which  spread  over  the  faces  of  the  men,  as  the 
situatio:  dawned  clearly  upon  them, —  men  who 
had  braved  almost  every  kind  of  danger,  and 
borne  almost  all  sorts  of  hardships.  True,  we  had 
one  hundred  pounds  of  beans  left,  but  one  more 
meal  would  exhaust  every  other  article  of  food  in 
our  possession.  Of  course  the  beans  would  keep 
us  from  starvation,  but  how  long  we  might  be 
kept  here  we  could  not  guess. 

The  outlook  was,  to  say  the  least,  anything  but 
a  cheerful  one,  and  to  add  to  our  disconfifort,  the 
weather  was  growing  colder,  and  the  wind  began 
to  blow  a  gale  down  the  river,  bringing  with  it  a 
cloud  of  dust.  Returning  to  the  boats,  we  gath- 
ered up  some  flood-wood,  made  a  fire  to  dry  our 
clothes,  and  began  in  earnest  to  discuss  the 
situation. 

The  great  blocks  of  ice  which  had  broken  cfif 
the  glacier  had  floated  down  here  and  become 
massed  in  the  stream,  and  then  the  floating  ice 
18  273 


m 


274 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


in  the  stream,  formed  by  the  freezing  weather,  had 
also  filled  into  this  mass,  until  there  was  a  solid 
block  four  miles  long. 

We  spent  the  night  there,  hoping  that  the  wind 
and  water  together  might  loosen  this  great  ice 
jam  by  morning.  We  had  gone  without  our  din- 
ners, and  toward  night  had  cooked  and  eaten  the 
little  food  remaining,  aside  from  our  one  sack  of 
beans.  Having  had  but  little  rest  for  two  nights 
past,  we  spread  our  sleeping  bags  down  upon  the 
g  dvel  and  slept  soundly  until  morning. 

At  day  dawn  some  of  us  went  down  to  see  if  the 
night  had  brought  any  changes  in  our  favor.  We 
found  a  narrow  strip  of  open  water  all  along  in 
front  of  the  glacier  through  which  we  might  pass, 
but  as  the  river  turned  at  right  angles,  and  ran 
,away  from  the  glacier,  we  would  still  have  four 
miles  of  ice  between  here  and  the  open  water 
below. 

However,  we  decided  to  get  by  the  glacier  if 
possible.  This  was  attended  with  great  danger, 
for  we  would  often  hear  a  crash  near  us,  as  a  great 
body  of  ice  would  drop  from  above,  into  the  river, 
and  should  one  drop  near  enough,  we  might  be 
capsized  by  its  waves. 

Returning  to  the  boat  we  ate  our  breakfast  of 
beans, —  which  had  been  cooked  the  night  before, 


Four  Miles  of  Solid  Ice 


275 


—  and  set  out  down  the  stream.  Where  the  cur- 
rent of  the  river  ran,  the  water  was  open  for  fifty 
yards  down  into  the  ice  ;  there  we  must  pull  to 
one  side  to  clear  the  ice  jam. 

My  boat  was  in  the  lead,  but  as  we  began  to 
pull  for  the  shore  we  were  caught  in  a  whirlpool, 
and  began  to  spin  around  like  a  top.  At  the  same 
time  we  were  being  borne  swiftly  toward  this 
opening  in  the  ice,  which  seemed  like  a  great 
mouth,  yawning  to  suck  us  in.  As  the  current 
swept  into  this  place,  great  cakes  of  ice,  weighing 
hundreds  of  tons,  would  move  slowly  around,  and 
coming  together,  would  grind  into  atoms  the 
smaller  cakes  of  ice  which  happened  to  be 
between  them.  We  felt  that  if  we  vv  2nt  into  such 
a  place  as  this,  we  must  surely  share  the  fate  of 
the  smaller  cakes  of  ice,  and  be  ground  as  we  had 
seen  and  heard  *:hem  being  ground. 

We  tried  to  hold  the  boats,  but  it  was  no  use  ; 
so  I  said  to  the  men,  "  When  the  bow  is  toward 
the  shore,  pull  hard."  By  this  means,  and  using 
almost  superhuman  efforts,  we  succeeded  in  round- 
ing the  corner  of  the  ice  jam,  and  thus  escaped 
perhaps  as  great  a  danger  as  we  had  passed  in  all 
our  months  of  daily  perils.  Not  to  have  succeeded 
must  have  almost  certainly  sealed  our  doom. 

Looking  up  the  stream,  we  saw  our  companions 


276 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


I  ill 


!  ^'  3 


in  the  other  boat  simply  resting  on  their  oars, 
seeming  to  be  so  absorbed  in  watching  us  as  to 
forget  their  own  peril,  and  were  surely  drifting 
into   the   same    whirlpool   which    had    caught  us. 

We  motioned  to  them  frantically  to  pull  toward 
the  shore,  and  they  all  at  once  seemed  to  arouse 
to  a  sense  of  the  situation,  and  began  pulling  with 
all  their  might,  but  it  was  too  late  ;  they  were  in 
the  whirlpool. 

Immediately  they  became  excited,  and  kept  con- 
stantly pulling,  while  the  boat  was  turning  round 
and  round,  and  in  this  manner  were  drifting 
toward  the  ice.  We  saw  that  nothing  could  pre- 
vent their  going  into  it,  and  said,  "They  are  lost." 

When  they  saw  that  they  were  surely  going 
into  it,  they  began  calling  to  us  for  help,  but  we 
were  powerless  to  render  them  any  assistance. 
Two  large  blocks  of  ice  were  coming  together, 
and  we  thought  just  in  time  to  grind  them  and 
their  boat,  but  it  passed  through  and  out  from  be- 
tween them  as  they  came  together  with  an  omi- 
nous grind,  which  sent  shudders  all  through  us. 
Then  the  great  cakes  of  ice  came  down  against 
the  stern  of  their  boat,  forcing  it  out  of  the  water 
upon  some  lesser  cakes  of  ice,  and  there  they  were 
high  and  dry  upon  — not  land,  but  ice,  and  safe, 
at  least  for  the  present. 


m^ 


Four  Miles  of  Solid  Ice 


277 


They  noticed  that  the  ice  was  moving,  and  that 
they  were  being  slowly  carried  around  in  a  great 
circle,  which,  if  it  continued,  would  in  a  few  hours 
bring  them  out  near  the  spot  where  they  had  en- 
tered the  whirlpool,  so  they  sat  and  waited,  and  in 
two  and  one  half  hours  were  in  open  water  again  ; 
and  pulling  across  above  the  whirlpool,  they  soon 
rejoined  us.  ~         .      •    - 

None  of  these  men  would  like  to  again  pass 
through  the  experience  of  these  few  hours.  The 
helplessness  of  their  situation  was  in  the  last  de- 
gree pitiful.  Sitting  face  to  face  with  an  awful 
peril,  they  could  do  absolutely  nothing  but  wait, 
whether  it  was  to  be  ground  between  the  great 
millstones  of  ice,  or  sucked  under  this  four-mile 
gorge,  or  swung  out  into  safety  ;  minutes  seemed 
long,  yet  none  too  long,  for  they  might  be  measur- 
ing off  just  the  few  that  remained  to  them  of  mor- 
tal life. 

But  we  could  n  't  stop  to  think  of  experiences 
past ;  new  dangers  were  confronting  us  at  every 
step  of  our  way. 

We  began  to  pass  through  the  narrow  strip  of 
open  water  in  front  of  the  glacier.  On  our  right 
was  the  great  ice  jam,  and  upon  our  left  was  this 
immense  mountain  of  ice,  in  places  as  white  as 
snow,  and  in  others  as  blue  as  the   sky  above  us> 


It)! 


278 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


Here  and  there  were  great  masses  of  ice,  hun- 
dreds of  feet  in  height,  which  had  become  broken 
off  the  glacier  and  stood  leaning  out  toward  the 
water,  like  an  immense  leaning  tower,  rea;dy  at 
any  favorable  moment  to  splash  into  the  river. 
While  passing  these,  our  boys  seemed  almost  in- 
tuitively to  dip  their  oars  with  a  careful  stroke,  as 
if  an  extra  ripple  might  cause  the  tottering  towers 
to  tumble  just  as  we  were  under  them. 

What  a  relief  we  all  experienced  when  we  had 
passed  the  last  of  them,  and  saw  the  glacier  in  our 
rear.  True,  we  had  a  field  of  solid  ice  four  miles 
through  ahead  of  us,  but  we  could  n't  help  con- 
gratulating ourselves  that  we  had  passed  this  in 
safe*:y. 

It  was  afternoon  when  we  reached  the  end  of 
the  open  water.  Going  on  shore  we  secured  our 
boats,  and  ate  a  lunch  of  cold  beans, —  left  over 
from  breakfast, —  then  set  out  down  the  river  to 
investigate,  and  ascertain  the  best  way  out  of  our 
difficulty. 

The  men  who  had  stopped  us  above  this  ice  jam 
told  us  that  they  had  a  large  boat  below  the  jam, 
but  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  which  we 
might  take,  if  we  could  get  over  and  get  it. 

But  this  was  an  impossibility,  for  the  river  at 
this  point  was  two  hundred  yards  wide,  the  cur- 


Four  Miles  of  Solid  Ice 


279 


rent  swift,  and  the  wind  blowing  a  gale  down  the 
river,  and  there  was  no  boat  nearer  than  our  own, 
between  which  and  the  open  water  was  the  four 
miles  of  ice  jam.  And  to  bring  even  one  of  these 
across  these  four  miles  of  rough  ice  seemed  an 
almost  impossible  task.  The  afternoon  passed 
without  anything  being  accomplished. 

Some  of  the  men  suggested  that  every  man 
abandon  all  his  goods  but  fifty  pounds,  and  start 
on  foot  with  that  down  the  river.  This  was  not 
thought  advisable,  for  between  us  and  the  coast 
there  were  a  score  of  streams  which  could  not  be 
forded  ;  and  besides,  many  had  valuable  skins  and 
other  goods  which  they  could  illy  afford  to  leave 
behind. 

That  night  another  boat  cor^ainin^  five  men 
came  down  the  river,  and  camped  near  us.  They 
had  less  goods  and  a  lighter  boat  than  we,  so  they 
decided  to  portage  both  their  goods  and  boat  over 
to  open  water. 

They  were  also  short  of  provisions,  and  we  could 
obtain  none  of  them.  That  day  and  the  next  we 
spent  in  getting  our  goods  across  the  ice.  By 
that  time  the  men  of  the  smaller  boat  had  their 
goods  and  boat  nearly  across,  and  we  decided  to 
wait  until  it  was  clear  over,  and  then  borrow  it, 
and  cross  and  get  the  large  one  which  we  had  been 


II    =i! 


I!  •: 


280 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


told  was  there  ;  this  was  done,  but  imagine  our  sur- 
prise and  disappointment  at  finding  that  it  was  gone. 

After  returning  with  our  borrowed  boat,  we 
held  a  consultation,  the  result  of  which  was  that 
there  was  but  one  way  out  for  us  ;  we  must  bring 
our  own  boats,  heavy  as  they  were,  over  this  long 
stretch  of  ice. 

Had  the  surface  been  smooth,  as  ice  usually  is 
in  the  States,  this  would  not  have  been  a  very  se- 
vere task,  but  this  ice  was  composed  —  as  already 
intimated  —  of  great  blocks  of  ice,  piled  up  in  all 
conceivable  shapes,  so  that  walking  over  it  ne- 
cessitated about  as  much  climbing  as  walking. 
So  the  reader  will  readily  see  what  a  task  was 
before  us.  The  wind  continued  to  sweep  down 
the  valley,  bringing  with  it  great  clouds  of  dust 
which  at  times  nearly  choked   us. 

One  day,  when  we  had  taken  our  boat  some  dis- 
tance, and  had  sat  down  to  rest,  we  suddenly 
heard  a  rumbling  sound,  like  the  roar  of  distant 
thunder.  It  seemed  to  come  from  the  center  of 
the  great  glacier,  back  many  miles  from  shore,  and 
continued  about  three  minutes.  While  it  lasted, 
the  open  water  along  the  glacier's  front  would  rise 
and  fall  fully  three  feet.  Whether  this  was  caused 
by  some  convulsion  of  nature,  or  by  the  moving 
of  the  glacier  itself,  we  never  knew. 


Four  Miles  of  Solid  Ice 


281 


»& 


IS 


At  noon  of  the  third  day  we  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  both  our  boats  again  in  the  open  water 
below  the  ice.  We  ate  our  dinner  of  beans, 
loaded  our  stuff  in,  and  were  again  on  our  way 
down   stream. 

Only  half  a  mile  below  we  came  to  Child's 
glacier.  For  three  miles  down  alongside  of  its  icy 
walls  the  current  runs  at  the  rate  of  about  fifteen 
miles  to  the  hour.  This  was  faster  than  we  cared 
to  go,  seated  in  a  row  boat,  but  we  were  glad  to 
know  that  our  speed  only  hastened  us  to  where 
we  could  obtain  some  supplies  besides  beans.  We 
always  liked  these,  but  never  before  were  driven 
to  subsist  upon  them  entirely  for  so  long. 

Our  pleasure,  however,  was  of  short  duration, 
for  we  had  barely  passed  the  glacier,  when  we 
came  to  where  the  river  was  again  frozen  over. 
With  ax  and  oars  we  broke  the  ice  for  a  mile, 
but  when  night  came  we  had  made  but  a  short 
distance. 

Finding  a  spot  on  shore  well  sheltered  from  the 
biting  wind,  we  landed,  and  made  a  big  camp  fire, 
and  discussed  our  adventures  of  this  eventful  trip 
around  its  cheerful  warmth.  Another  day  and  our 
beans  would  be  gone.  Then  we  would  have  noth- 
ing. This  was  not  a  pleasant  outlook.  Still  we 
hoped  to  be  able  to  reach  Alganak  before  another 


282 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


night.  When  bedtime  came,  we  lay  down  upon 
the  frozen  gravel  and  tried  to  sleep,  but  it  was  a 
poor  excuse  for  a  night's  rest.  The  wind  howled 
around  us  in  fitful  gusts,  and  the  roaring  sound 
it  caused,  as  it  swept  along  the  mountain  sides, 
could  have  been  heard  many  miles. 

Our  breakfast  was,  this  time,  beans  and  sand, 
the  wind  having  brought  us  our  seasoning.  Then 
we  started  again  down  the  stream,  having  to  stop 
many  times  during  the  day  to  break  the  ice, 
which  in  many  places  reached  from  shore  to  shore. 

In  the  afternoon,  about  three  o'clock,  we  came 
in  sight  of  a  few  log  cabins,  nestled  close  to  the 
foot  of  a  small  mountain  some  three  miles  distant. 
This  was  Alganak.  We  all  set  up  a  shout  of  joy, 
for  it  was  indeed  a  welcome  sight.  Think  we 
were  childish,  eh }  Well,  it  may  be  we  were,  but 
before  you  pass  judgment  on  our  childish  dem- 
onstrations, try  and  place  yourselves  in  just  the 
situation  we  were  before  we  came  in  sight  of  this 
place.  We  had  absolutely  reached  our  last  meal 
of  any  sort,  and  had  eaten  only  beans  for  several 
days. 


CHAPTER    XXX 


SECURING   FOOD 


Here  was  a  prospect  of  food.  Being  anxious  to 
reach  it,  we  put  all  our  strength  on  the  oars,  but 
some  of  our  boys  were  so  occupied  with  planning 
what  they  would  have  for  supper,  that  they  forgot 
to  pull. 

Alganak  is  situated  on  a  side  channel,  about  a 
mile  from  the  main  stream.  We  came  opposite, 
and  not  knowing  where  to  leave  the  main  channel 
we  made  our  boats  fast  to  some  bushes,  and  started 
across  on  foot  toward  the  cabins. 

When  within  a  few  hundred  yards,  we  came  to 
a  stream  which  we  could  not  ford,  and  began 
shooting  with  our  revolvers,  to  attract  attention. 
Soon  we  saw  a  man  approaching  in  a  boat ;  it  was 
the  storekeeper.  Two  trips  of  the  boat,  and  we 
were  all  landed  in  front  of  the  store. 

Near  by  the  store  was  a  log  cabin,  out  of  which 
a  family  had  moved,  leaving  behind  a  table  and  a 
stove.  We  were  given  the  use  of  this  cabin  while 
we  remained  in  Alganak.  Here  the  two  men  at 
whose  tent  we  stopped  near  the  rapids,  left  us. 

283 


I'-l 


I  ■ 


II 


k   •ill 


284 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


Our  party,  then  consisting  of  twelve  men,  went 
to  the  store  for  provision,  but  intending  as  we  did 
to  stay  there  one  day,  we  only  bought  enough  — 
'as  we  supposed — to  last  through  that  one  day, 
paid  our  bill,  which  was  twenty-four  dollars,  and 
took  our  goods  to  the  cabin,  and  went  at  ii. 
Loaves  of  bread  and  cans  of  roast  beef  disappeared 
like  magic,  until  I  doubt  if  one  little  kitten  could 
have  made  a  good  lunch  of  what  remained. 

After  supper  we  returned  and  brought  down  our 
boats.  We  were  now  at  tide  water.  The  balance 
of  our  journey  —  we  were  now  forty  miles  from 
our  destination  —  must  be  made  when  the  condi- 
tions of  the  tide  were  just  right.  So  it  was 
thought:  best  to  engage  an  Indian  to  guide  us. 

Making  our  desires  known  to  the  storekeeper,  he 
directed  us  to  one  who  he  said  was  reliable,  and 
we  engaged  his  services  for  ten  dollars,  to  pilot  us 
as  far  as  Eak,  which  was  thirty-five  miles. 

He  could  not  speak  our  language,  but  through 
the  storekeeper  as  interpreter,  he  told  us  to  be 
ready  to  start  by  one  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

This  was  unwelcome  news  to  us,  for  we  had 
hoped  to  get  a  good  night's  rest  here  in  our  cabin  ; 
however,  we  were  anxious  to  get  through  as  soon  as 
possible,  so  we  bought  provisions  for  two  days,  and 
at  the  time  appointed  were  on  hand,  ready  to  go. 


Securing  Food 


285 


But  when  we  got  there,  our  Indian  friend  in- 
formed us  that  the  tide  had  been  running  down  for 
an  hour,  and  that  we  must  now  wait  for  the  next 
full  tide,  which  would  not  be  till  noon. 

It  was  fortunate  for  our  Indian  guide  that  he 
could  not  understand  the  English  language,  for  he 
would  probably  have  heard  things  not  at  all  com- 
plimentary to  himself,  for  the  boys  were  not  in  the 
best  of  humor  at  being  cheated  out  of  a  night's 
rest  which  we  all  felt  the  need  of  sorely,  only  to 
find  that  it  was  to  no  purpose.  However,  we  lay 
down  and  got  a  few  hours'  rest.  Next  time  we 
were  ourselves  on  watch,  and  just  before  the  turn- 
ing of  the  tide,  we  loaded  our  boats  and  started  out. 

Ten  miles  down  was  a  fish  house,  which  in  the 
summer  was  used  as  a  canning  factory  for  salmon, 
but  at  this  season  of  the  year  was  vacant.  We 
were  to  reach  this  place  and  again  wait  for  a  full 
tide.  Following  the  course  of  the  stream,  we 
crossed  broad  flats  and  wild  meadow  land  many 
miles  in  extent. 

On  the  way  we  saw  thousands  of  wild  geese,  and 
countless  numbers  of  ducks,  but  they  kept  a  safe 
distance  away  from  our  boats  and  guns,  so  none 
were  bagged. 

About  four  o'clock  we  reached  the  fish  house, 
built  a  fire,  and   prepa  ^d   our  meal  t- dinner  and 


#. 


I '.  ■      I 


III'!' 


286 


Go/d  Hunters   in   Alaska 


supper  in  one.  From  this  point  to  ihe  next  fish 
house  at  the  mouth  of  Eak  River  fs  twelve  miles. 
TThis  is  across  flats  which  are  only  covered  with 
water  at  high  tide,  so  at  eight  o'clock,  when  it  was 
a  little  over  half  tide,  our  guide  came  and  motioned 
us  to  get  ready  to  start.  The  night  was  dark  and 
foggy,  and  how  our  guide  could  lay  his  course, 
when  for  five  and  one-half  hours  we  were  out  of 
sight  of  land,  was  a  mystery  to  us.  But  he  did 
and  at  half-past  one  we  came  in  sight  of  the  fish 
house. 

Here  we  were  to  remain  until  eight  o'clock 
when  the  incoming  tide  would  enable  iis  to  run  up 
the  river.  We  saw  some  boats  here,  and  knew  we 
were  not  alone.  Going  to  the  fish  house,  we 
lighted  a  candle,  and  found  five  men  asleep  on  the 
floor.  They  were  on  their  way  out  to  the  States, 
and  were  waiting  the  next  incoming  tide. 

We  were  soon  asleep  beside  them,  but  were 
early  up,  and  ready  to  start  up  with  the  tide  when 
it  should  come. 

The  morning  was  cold  and  frosty.  As  we 
pulled  along  up  the  river,  d'cks  by  the  thou- 
sand would  rise  out  of  the  water  ahead  of  us,  and 
circling  around,  would  light  down  again  in  our 
rear.  It  seemed  to  u  that  this  would  be  a  hunt- 
er's paradise.     We  spent  little  time  however  upon 


i 


Securing  Food 


287 


them,  and  we  now  had  plenty  of  provision,  besides 
we  were  anxious  to  reach  the  coast  as  soon  as 
possible. 

About  noon  we  arrived  at  Eak  Lake.  This  lit- 
tle lake  is  a  beautiful  body  of  water,  one  mile  wide 
and  four  miles  long,  with  mountains  rising  up  from 
its  shores  thousands  of  feet  high,  and  on  either 
side,  the  base  of  which  is  heavily  timbered  with 
spruce.  Here  we  were  destined  to  meet  another 
delay,  for  the  little  lake  was  almost  entir^lj'  frozen 
over. 

Going  upon  shore  we  built  a  fire  and  prepared 
our  dinn'!^r,  after  which  we  set  out  up  the  lake. 
Coming  to  the  ice  we  began  tc  break  it  and  force 
our  boats  through.  Ali  the  afternoon  we  broke 
ice,  but  when  night  came,  were  still  three  miles 
from  Eak.  We  must  abrndon  our  boats  here  and 
carry  our  goods  around  the  shore  to  the  little  vil- 
lage. The  shore  being  a  mass  of  brush  and  fallen 
timber,  it  was  almost  impossible  to  get  throug'i» 
so  we  unloaded  our  goods,  and  went  into  ca.np  for 
the  night.  It  now  began  to  snow,  and  soon  the 
earth  was  wrapped  in  a  mantle  of  white. 


our 


CHAPTER  XXXI 


Si    :«.  C       THE   WAY 


w  yii 


I  HAD  not  been  feeling  well  the  entire  day,  and 
at  supper  time  was  unable  to  eat  any,  so  spreading 
out  my  sleeping  bag  on  the  snow  I  retired.  I  had 
chills  and  fever  all  night,  and  in  the  morning  was 
so  ill  that  I  could  scarcely  stand  without  assist- 
ance. But  there  was  no  possible  way  of  getting  to 
Eak  except  to  walk,  and  with  one  of  my  compan- 
ions on  either  side,  we  set  ou*".  Half  carrying  me 
as  they  did  I  could  go  but  liUlc  distance  without 
resting,  and  it  was  afr^  ir"  r*  when  we  reached 
Eak.  One  of  our  compa^;  '^v>  i  jone  on  ahead  to 
make  arrangements  for  my  c-  i.  "jrt,  so  7.  had  only 
to  go  to  bed.  Here  I  was  able  to  get  some  medi- 
cine, and  by  the  next  morning  was  considerably 
better. 

Possibly  the  reader  may  be  able  to  form  some 
faint  conception  of  the  j  'easure  I  felt  wht-n  for  the 
first  time  in  many  mc  '.;"  I  took  off  my  clothes, 
like  a  Chiistian,  and  goi  nto  a  real  bed,  and  with 
a  real  -jof  over  me.  Sleeping  bags  are  the  best 
devices  ^       wn  for  the  trail  in  that  frozen  or  in- 

288 


Sick  on  the  Way 


289 


1  ■ 


A    are  oerhaps  the  only  safe 
ae^ent  country    ad   a.  Pe^J^.   ,„,  g,,„ 

substitute  for  a  bed  ^^^^  on,  except 

i„,o  one  of  Aem  J  th  all  y  ^^^^  ^^^^ 

perhaps  your  boot  ,  and  f^^^^^le   bed. 

different  from  g^"'"^ J"'",,,,,  „hen  one  is  sick. 
A"<' ''>-°"":r;rcn^ow  it  would  seen,  to 
Just   imagine,  if  you   ca  ^^  ^^  j^^ 

you.  when  almost  too. U-    a,  ey^^^  on  a  snow 
obliged  to  era*    .no     u  ^^^   ^^.^^,.„g 

bank   or  great  cake  o         ,  ^^.^.„g 

stars   or  the   th-ten.n^  clouds  -    ^^^^^  p,^„. 

storm  of  rain  or  -°-^ ^.'^^'emperature  several 
„e  of  crawhngout  '"to J  «r  V  ^^^^^^^y 

Hmes   during  ^''^-^f  i/lTngencies'' of  life  in 
.These  are  some  of  th       co        g^^^  ^^^^  ^, 

such  a  country,     ro  „f  „„, 

frequent  o"—"";:,:  \h  'eMire  time, 
company  were  *-"  ^J  "J'     ^i,,^  „hUe  my  first 
I  think  I  can  truthfully  ^ay  tha  .^^^, 

^'^^''"^'':^:rm;li^drabedseemto 

bed,  yet  never  .n  all  my  _^y^  ^^ 

„e  such  a  luxury  as  this  °-  ^  f   /^,^,„  ,,eets, 
undress,  and  get  be«e--P-';\  ^^^^,  „f   ,„y 
,       with  real  piUo«s  under  ^2^^: ...  tru.  of  the 
rpi:r:mra^:ntrast  that  it  was  like 

being  almost  in  another  world. 
19 


290 


Gold  Hunters   in   Alaska 


We  were  now  five  miles  from  Orca,  where  we 
were  to  ta':e  the  boat  for  Seattle  ;  but  we  were 
here  told  that  it  would  be  fifteen  days  before  a 
boat  would  be  in,  as  the  last  mail  steamer  had 
sailed  the  day  before. 

The  boys  found  a  large  vacant  log  cabin,  con- 
taining a  stove  and  table,  and  secured  it,  by  rental, 
for  the  time  we  were  to  wait.  They  prepared  a 
comfortable  bed  for  me,  and  I  was  soon  resting  in 
our  ow|i  hired  house. 


CHAPTER     XXXII 


TAKING  BOAT  FOR  SEATTLE 


I  SHALL  never  forget  the  kindness  of  these  men 
during  the  few  days  of  my  siokness.  Had  they 
been  my  own  brothers  I  could  not  have  received 
more  considerate  care.  They  bought  some  pro- 
visions, and  we  began  to  keep  house  on  a  grand 
scale. 

Prince  William  Sound  is  only  separated  from 
Eak  Lake  by  about  half  a  mile.  Over  this  are  built 
tramways,  upon  which  handcars  are  used  to  carry 
salmon  from  the  lake,  where  it  is  brought  in  boats, 
over  the  sound,  from  which  place  it  is  shipped  to 
all  the  world.  ■  :      .      - 

The  first  afternoon  in  our  new  quarters  the  boys 
shot  several  ducks.  They  had  borrowed  some 
boats,  and  planned  for  a  grand  duck  hunt  the  next 
day.  jThey  were  up  early,  and  after  an  early 
breakfast,  had  set  out  upon  their  hunt,  but  had 
gone  only  a  short  distance  when  they  heard  the 
hoarse  whistle  of  a  steamboat  at  Orca.  Of  course 
the  duck  hunt  was  quickly  declared  off,  and  they 
hastened  back  to  the  cabin  and  began  to  make  the 

291 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


292  ^—  - 

„.eUestWnd  of  preparationsfor  getting  out  of  Ea. 

for  Orca.  _      ^    take  us  over 

We  had  already  -"g'^'^"*  *  ";"J  ^our  we  bade 
«hen  a  boat  should  ""-^'/"^r.^ ,„_ving  behind 
adieu  to  Eak  and  °-  "'J:  """^ensils,  knowing       . 
:L^^:rhrelrrhefneed  of  the.  after 

reaching  the  steamer  ^^^^^  ^j^i, 

jthrgrdrbrwrr^ousands  of  due. 

"ilere  «ying  about  and  o^-.^^^^^_^^^^^ 
Whenhalfway  over  wejne        .^  "aving  heard 

''""  *'^  '::  e^    were'there  w'a iting  to  go  on  the 
that  fome  miners  weic 

""'  boat.  ^^^  „„,  goods  were 

We  were  soon  at  the  wn      ,  ^^  ^^^ 

tranferred  to  the  ^t^-^'/^^;;  Le  steamship 
satisfaction  of  ^^^Pf^^,;"'"  back  to  the  States. 
..RWai:  which  --  -  ^  '"/„::,lent  charter,  and 

had  been  to  the  Yukon  ^^^^^^^  ^^ 

soldiers,  and  on  its  retu  ,o„e   sol- 
l„,et,  Valdez,  and  Orca.  brmgjg  ^^^^  ^^^ 

diers,  and  a  few  passengers  who  we 

the  last  regular  boat.  ^^^^^^  ^^e 
Within  a  few  mmutes  after  g      g  .^^^  ^^^^ 

left  the  dock  and  steamed  out  a  tew 


! 


Taking  Boat  for  Seattle 


293 


sound  and  anchored  for  the  night.  At  early  dawn 
we  were  on  our  way  out  of  Prince  William  Sound, 
and  taking  the  outside  course,  the  snow-capped 
peaks  of  Alaska  soon  disappeared  in  the  distance. 

We  will  not  try  to  describe  the  mingled  emotions" 
with  which  we  watched  them  disappear.  These 
mountains,  and  rivers,  and  glaciers,  and  lakes,  the 
hardships  and  perils,  the  pleasures  and  pains,  the 
hopes,  anxieties,  ambitions,  and  disappointments 
which  had  been  crowded  so  thickly  into  the  past 
months,  were  all  among  the  things  that  were  past, 
but  not  all  among  the  things  to  be  left  behind. 

Many,  aye,  the  most  of  them,  were  to  come  back 
with  us  to  the  States  as  very  lively  memories,  to 
go  with  us  all  the  future  years,  to  sometimes  be 
lived  over  in  reminiscences  and  story,  or  in  dreams 
of  the  night. 

The  invigorating  sea  breezes  soon  set  me  at 
rights  again,  and  I  took  my  usual  part  in  things, 
both  at  the  table  and  elsewhere. 

The  voyage  over  to  Seattle  was  an  uneventful 
one,  and  was  in  striking  contrast  to  the  one  we 
made  ten  months  before  over  these  same  waters  in 
our  little  schooner  "  Moonlight." 

Our  food  was  the  very  best,  and  our  sleeping 
apartments  first  class.  The  officers  and  crew  did 
all  in  their  power  to  make  our  voyage  pleasant. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 


EXPERIENCES  ON   SHORE 


PARTING 


\m 


WW 


ill 


Just  after  dark  of  the  seventh  day  out,  we  came 
in  sight  of  the  lights  of  the  city  of  Seattle,  and  in 
another  hour  we  stepped  out  upon  the  same 
wharf  we   had  left  ten  months  before. 

During  the  first  part  of  our  stay  in  Alaska  we 
had  allowed  our  hair  and  beard  to  grow,  as  a  pro- 
tection against  the  severe  cold  and  the  fierce 
winds  and  storms  to  which  we  were  constantly  ex- 
posed ;  and  when  the  weather  became  warmer,  we 
had  allowed  the  hair  and  beard  to  remain,  to  pro- 
tect us  in  some  degree  from  the  villainous  at- 
tacks of  the  ever  villainous  mosquitoes,  who 
followed  us  more  relentlessly  than  our  own  shad- 
ows ;  and  when  the  frosts  of  approaching  winter 
had  delivered  us  of  these,  the  certainty  of  what 
awaited  us  as  long  as  we  were  in  Alaska  made 
us  loath  to  part  with  either,  so  both  were  allowed 
to  remain  until  we  got  back  to  civilization  again. 
But  once  here,  our  appearance  made  us  alto- 
gether to  conspicuous  ;    for  every  man  of  us  was 

almost   a   veritable    Rip   Van  Winkle  to  look  at. 

204 


Experiences  on  Shore — Parting 


295 


Not  wishing  to  visit  a  hotel  until  we  had  changed 
our  woolly  appearance,  we  returned  to  the  vessel 
and  waited   until  morning. 

Early  in  the  morning  I  went  on  shore,  and  vis- 
ited first  a  clothing  house,  where  I  purchased  an 
entire  outfit ;  next  I  visited  a  barber  shop,  and  ex- 
changed my  luxurious  beard  and  hair  for  a  clean 
shave  and  short  cut  and  a  good  bath,  paying  a 
difference  of  seventy-five  cents.  Then  donning 
my  new  clothes,  I  ventured  to  look  at  my  new 
self  ^before  a  good-sized  mirror;  and  the  trans- 
formation was  so  great  that  it  was  almost  past  be- 
lief, and  for  a  while  it  was  altogether  uncertain 
whether  I   was  myself  or  some  other  fellow. 

Going  out  on  the  streets,  I  sauntered  about  for 
some  time,  seeing  nothing  of  my  companions. 
Presently  a  bright,  good-looking  young  fellow 
touched  me  on  the  arm,  saying  "  Beg  your  pardon, 
but  I  am  a  stranger  in  your  city,  and  would  like 
to  inquire  if  you  can  direct  me  to  the  Government 
Steamboat  Office."  "  No,  sir,"  I  said,  "  I  can  not, 
for  I,  like  yourself,  am  a  stranger  in  this  city." 

He  was  dressed  in  the  height  of  fashion,  but  he 
seemed  more  talkative  than  a  stranger  would  natu- 
rally be,  and  I  set  him  down  as  a  confidence  man, 
wondering  what  sort  of  a  game  he  was  planning 
to  spring  on  me.     By  this  time  we  had  arrived  at 


296 


Gold  Hunters  in  Alaska 


the  corner  where  I  turned  off  on  a  street  leading 
toward  the  steamboat  landing,  and  was  interested 
to  find  that  my  talkative  friend  also  turned  and 
accompanied  me. 

I  became  more  convinced  than  ever  that  he  be- 
longed to  a  gang  of  crooks,  and  determined  to 
watch  him.  I  glanced  sidewise  at  him,  to  be  sure 
that  I  would  recognize  him  should  I  ever  chance 
to  meet  him  again  ;  at  the  same  time  I  noticed 
that  he  was  casting  sly  glances  at  me,  and  what 
was  more,  was  biting  his  lips  to  keep  from  laugh- 
ing outright.  He  was  none  other  than  George 
Winters,  one  of  our  company,  and  we  had  been 
together  during  most  of  the  perils  of  descending 
the  Copper  River,  shooting  its  fearful  rapids, 
chopping  our  way  with  ax  and  oars  through  ice, 
and  dragging  our  boats  over  the  four  miles  of 
solid  ice,  and  all  that.  But  he  had  exchanged 
his  leather  suit,  which  he  had  worn  all  the  way 
since  coming  to  us,  for  a  suit  of  broadcloth,  his 
Klondike  brogans  for  patent  leathers,  his  slouch 
hat  for  a  Dunlap,  and  his  Alaska  shirt  for  spot- 
less linen,  and  his  hands  were  encased  in  a  neat- 
fitting  pair  of  kid  gloves.  But  the  greatest 
change  of  all  was  in  the  loss  of  his  hair  and  whis- 
kers. Now  he  was  closely  trimmed  and  clean 
shaven. 


V! 


t  leading 
nterested 
rned   and 

It  he  be 
nined  to 
►  be  sure 
(r  chance 
[  noticed 
Lnd  what 
m  laugh- 
1  George 
lad  been 
scending 
il  rapids, 
ough  ice, 
miles  of 
^changed 
the  way 
[cloth,  his 
is  slouch 
for  spot- 
i  a  neat- 
greatest 
.nd  whis- 
nd    clean 


Experiences  on  Shore — Parting       297 

During  the  afternoon  as  we  came  across  our 
companions  one  by  one,  we  noticed  what  a  won- 
derful change  had  been  made  in  each,  as  he  had 
emerged  from  the  hands  of  the  tailor  and  the 
barber  ;  and  that  night  as  we  gathered  at  the  hotel, 
few  would  have  recognized  us  as  the  same  com- 
pany which  had  landed  from  the  steamer  only  the 
night  before. 

The  next  day  the  time  came  for  bidding  each 
other  good-by,  and  it  was  with  feelings  of  genuine 
regret  that  we  shook  each  other  by  the  hand,  and 
separated  to  go  to  our  respective  homes. 


